Wishing upon a dog star
by forevertruex
Summary: She could potentially change the future but what can you do when you fall in love, befriend and make enemies in the past? Melody has no way of getting home so she has to make the best of what she has and if she can... Voldemort will be destroyed!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Melody POV

"I'm heading to bed mum!" I called from the top of the stars. "Wake me up at half six tomorrow please. I've got to be in college early"

"Ok sweetie, good night" she shouted back to me.

I sighed. I was really tired I'd been up for at least seventy two hours now, completely over working myself from studying. I was so bloody tired and I dreaded getting up in the morning. I mean even when I was asleep it's not like I slept. My dreams were always plagued with scenes that should have come right out of a Rowling novel. Flashes of Voldemort, death eaters and Harry Potter kept coming back to me and I knew one thing for sure, I should never have read those damned books.

I couldn't get the whole thing out of my head and it's only a story, it wasn't as if any of it was real but it was like the books were being played out in my dreams again and again as of willing me to tell the world that it was real or something. Sighing again I climbed into bed and fell straight asleep. I slept dreamlessly for a little while and so I didn't notice when warmth started to spread all over my body and a green light engulfed me and transported me from my bed.

Sirius POV

I sat in the window of my dormitory sighing to myself. I was really tired and hadn't been sleeping well. My dreams were plagued with a beautiful black haired girl, taking me away from it all, holding my hand and running away with me. She never spoke, she just ran with me smiling the most beautiful, dazzling smile. I sighed again and rubbed my eyes. I had the pick of all the girls in this damn school and all I could do was brood over this dream fantasy. I hadn't told the other marauders about this, James probably wouldn't pay attention

I looked out of the window again and smiled towards the black lake. The Hogwarts grounds were beautiful at night I was almost out of my seat to get the marauders map and James' invisibility cloak to head outside when a flash of green light caught my eye. I panicked green light could only mean one thing in times like this right? The killing curse had been cast on the ground of Hogwarts. I stared intently out of the window trying to see what was going on when a sudden movement caught my eye. There, lying on the grass was the literal girl of my dreams...

Melody POV

I became aware that something was wrong when I became aware of the fact that it was a lot colder and that I was not laying on my comfortable bed, but instead something hard and cold. I shifted myself and slowly my eyes opened. I was shocked to see the sky above me and to feel the dewy grass beneath me. Once my shock wore off a new emotion came out and that emotion was panic. Where the hell was I? Why the _hell _wasn't I in my bedroom? I drew in ragged breaths and tried to sit up when a shout of "Don't move!" came from somewhere behind me. I turned around shocked and looked at the person who shouted at me. He was a tall boy with wavy black hair that was long the face of the boy had handsome aristocratic features that were charmingly handsome. I was shocked to see that he had, what looked like a long, thin wooden piece of wood pointed at me at me and I startled me again when he shouted "Who the hell are you?"

Sirius POV

I didn't even think about what I was doing. I tore out of the Gryffindor common room as fast as I could and ran full pelt through the castle. I didn't bother to grab the map or James' invisibility cloak. I needed to make sure that she wasn't a part of my imagination and more importantly I needed to know if she was ok! Running out of the front doors of the castle I didn't hesitate in grabbing my wand from my pocket and quickly scanned the area around me. There was no one around that I could see so I ran right up to the girl that was laid on the grass.

She had started to shift now and I sighed in relief when I realised she was alive. As she started to sit up I shouted "Don't move!" and pointed my wand at her. It felt wrong to do so but I hadn't seen her face properly she might not have been who I thought she was, she could be a death eater in disguise for all I knew. She turned around shocked and for the first time (apart from in those wondrous dreams) I got to see her face.

She was completely breath taking; she had pale skin and dark brown eyes that were like the longest tunnel. Her lips were plump and were shaped into a perfect 'oh' of surprise. Her hair was long, black and flowed down to the middle of her back in silky waves. She was like a perfect arc angel. She studied my face critically as if trying to get some recognition of who I was and nearly laughed when her brow furrowed and she looked as though she was really worried. I pointed my wand at her again, feeling blasphemous and said "Who the hell are you?"

Melody POV

I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come out so I looked around me instead of answering him. It was cold here and there was a big black lake with a small island in the middle. I turned again and saw a forest with huge imposing trees which looked like it could hold all kinds of cool wildlife. I saw a small hut next to the forest with the lights turned out so I guessed whoever lived there was asleep. And then I turned back around to where the boy was standing and saw the huge imposing building behind it. It was dark, it was huge and it was magnificent. Wherever I was it was exactly what I thought Hogwarts would look like. I drew in a shocked breath and quickly jumped to my feet registering the fact that I was only wearing pyjama shorts and a t-shirt that was about three times to small.

"Oh crap, I'm dead right? I mean, I know I've been having dreams about Hogwarts for ages but this is something else..."

The boy frowned at me and again I wondered who he was. Those dark grey eyes, that long hair, he reminded me of someone. Maybe he was mentioned in one of the books? I looked at him again, it couldn't be could it? He was way too young and he wouldn't be here? Right?

"Are you..." I stuttered "are you Sirius black?"

Sirius POV

I was completely dumbfounded by what she had just said. She knows who I am, how is that even possible? She looks completely confused as she stares around and takes in her surroundings. I don't know where she's come from but she is defiantly not a student here, that's not possible I would have known. So where has she come from?

"Yeah, my names Sirius Black. What is yours? What are you doing here?"

She sighed. "To be honest Sirius Black, I think I am either dead or in a coma. I have no idea how I got here but this is one crazy dream!" she laughed slightly and then asks the weirdest question. "What year is it? Because you don't look like you just got out of Azka..." she stopped herself there. Was she about to say Azkaban? Why would she say that!

"It's 1977 nearly 88'. You never answer my first question. What is your name?"

"It's Melody Holon, I'm seventeen and I sure as hell am not from this time Sirius Black. I guess you're about 17 too and in your final year here?" she gestured to the castle behind me. How did she know all this if she didn't have a clue how she got her? Her last comment _almost _about Azkaban was still going around in my head and I shuddered.

"Yes it is. How do you know all of this? You don't even know how you got here."

Her brow furrowed and she was muttering things to herself, I caught words and phrases like "Mental" and "I could change so much" and "I need Dumbledore".

"I can take you to Dumbledore Melody, I'm sure he can figure out what's going on."

With that we walked towards the open castle doors side by side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Melody POV

I felt really awkward as I walked through the supposed 'fantasy' castle with Sirius Black, as dreams went this one was completely realistic. Usually I just had flashes of Lily and James Potter being murdered or the back firing of Voldemort's curse on a little Harry Potter and sometimes even the second downfall of the Dark Lord. Now, to be honest, now I was just thinking that my mind had completely snapped. There was no coming back from this. I could feel the stone floor beneath my bare feet, feel the cold air blowing through the ancient castle, I almost thought I could hear the peaceful sound of hundreds of people sleeping in their beds.

I was completely aware that if this wasn't a dream and somehow I'd be transferred into a parallel universe nearly thirty five years in the past (hey I had to keep an open mind right?) then I would be here, in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, walking next to _the_ Sirius Black, whom I had a fascinated by since he turned up the Harry Potter books, with the skimpiest pyjamas and no bloody shoes. I sighed to myself and cursed internally to my crazy imagination.

I looked sideways at him and he seemed that he was trying really hard not to look at me. I thought this was a little strange, why didn't he hex me or curse me or whatever they did here? I mean I'm a complete stranger turning up on the grounds of the school, with next to nothing on; I could be anyone, especially in times like this, right? This was mental. I can't believe I'm actually in Hogwarts it's exactly how I imagined. A question burned and my head as I looked at Sirius and I wondered how much I should tell him. Deciding to start things off slowly I asked the most basic question of all.

"Are Lily Evans and James Potter together yet?"

Sirius POV

"What?" I yelled turning to her. I'd been trying desperately not to stare at her this whole time but now I looked at her full in the face incredulously this was completely impossible. It's one thing to know who I am, but Prongs and Evans too. Who the hell was she? This was like a maddening dream, with no idea what to do and no answer from Melody I simply turned back in the direction we were walking and sped up. I really didn't want to curse the girl but if we didn't get to Dumbledore soon I figured it was going to have to happen because frankly she was terrifying me. It's one thing for the girl of my dreams to be here, in Hogwarts, but when she has no idea where she has come from but knows all about our world; well that's an entirely different kettle of fish together!

Finally deciding to answer her I said "Yeah, yeah they are. I won't ask how you know because I doubt I'll get a straight answer, speed up a little please the Professor's office isn't too far and we can figure this whole thing out."

I turned my head towards her and was shocked to see that her face had turned up into that beautiful dazzling smile that I was already so familiar. This girl was absolutely wonderful in every way I only hoped that this wasn't another of my dreams because I would certainly like to get to know her for real. As we turned the next corner we were faced with the gargoyle that let us up to Dumbledore's office.

"Acid Pops" I said confidently and the gargoyle leap aside allowing us to go up the spiral staircase. We both quickly ran up the stairs and I knocked on Dumbledore's door. I couldn't hear anything inside but I wasn't, it was well past midnight now. Slowly I opened the door although Dumbledore still hadn't called for me to enter. As it opened I was shocked to see him slumped behind his desk fast asleep. Odd, the old man must have been up for days like me. I slowly walked over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Professor Dumbledore Sir, you need to wake up. It's Sirius Black Sir, I need your help."

It didn't take much to wake Dumbledore up, that's for certain. As soon as I said the word help his head snapped up and he straightened his half moon spectacles over his crooked nose.

"Mr Black, what is it? What's going on?"

Melody POV

I could not believe it, I was here, I was at Hogwarts, in Dumbledore's office, in front of Albus _Dumbledore_ himself! I nearly fainted in excitement this dream was awesome! When Sirius shook him awake he immediately looked at him not registering anything else in the room. I cleared my throat and he looked at me full in the face completely shocked.

"And who may you be miss?" he asked politely.

"My name is Melody sir, Melody Holon. I don't know what's happened or how I got here. One minute I was in my bed and the next I was outside on the grass and Sirius here came running up to me. I know what year it is sir and this isn't my time. I'm worried, I know this could all be happening in my head but if it isn't I have knowledge that could seriously change the future of your world and that wouldn't be good. I don't know what's happening, this isn't possible and even if it was I wouldn't be able to be here. Hogwarts is the work of fiction in my time and I am most defiantly a muggle so I shouldn't be able to see it should I? And I don't know what I'm going to do. How am I going to get home? How am I going to wake up..." I stammered a thousand more questions ready to pour from my lips.

He held is hand up to me and he looked over his desk at me and his blue eyes bored into mine and I started to laugh. I was laughing so much that I had to sit down on one of the chairs by his desk waiting for my giggles to subside as Dumbledore and Sirius glanced at each other incredulously apparently confused by my behaviour but I couldn't stop myself.

Sirius POV

Dumbledore and I stared at each other in shock, Melody wasn't making any sense and now she was in hysterics, probably in shock or something. She had told us that she was from the future, that wasn't possible though you can't just travel to another time in your sleep we haven't even found a way to time travel more than a few hours. I considered this and then came to the conclusion that the girl had obviously been hit on the head, there is no way what she is saying is remotely plausible. She's probably just a student from the school that's had her memory modified or something, that'd explain how her face had got in my dreams maybe I had just seen her in passing and she'd stuck with me.

When her giggles finally subsided she looked around the office until her eyes located me. The look upon her face was extremely trusting since she didn't know me from Adam, but there was something else hidden in her eyes behind a thousand secrets. Pain. Pain was what I could see in those deep brown pools. She looked as though she was getting a grip on reality and when she looked at me I could see she had something to say that caused her pain. Her gaze penetrated me and I couldn't look away from her, she was so beautiful.

Dumbledore cleared his throat as me and Melody got lost in each other's eyes. "Well, Miss Holon, now that you have calmed down I trust that you give me some of the finer details of your story, I caught most of it."

I listened in amazement as she slowly told her story. She said she went to bed feeling exhausted having been up from the same amount of time as myself and when she had finally gone to bed she had slept dreamlessly and then woke up here and was completely amazed by what she saw. She retold her story up to the point of getting to Dumbledore's office and then stuttered slightly and stopped. She turned to look at me again as I was still standing by the door and then gestured to the seat next to her.

"Sirius, if you'll please sit down." When I sat, she continued to speak. "If this world is real and I am really here then I need to tell you something. I know what's going to happen in the future, your future, this world's future. If this world is real then I know the outcome of this war that you are fighting."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Melody POV

Both Sirius and Professor Dumbledore stared at me completely dumbfounded by what I had just said. I cleared my throat awkwardly and spoke again, this time directly to Dumbledore because he was the one that was scrutinising my face and apparently believed, to some degree, my story. Sirius however just sat there looking at me as if I had completely lost my mind.

"You may think that I am completely mental, and hey, maybe I am but I'm telling the truth. I am not from your world or your time. I'm what you call a muggle. However, when I was about eleven I read books by an author called J.K Rowling, they had been out for a few years but I was too young to read them before this. These books were the adventures of _Harry Potter_" I felt Sirius stiffen beside me and Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"Yes, _Potter_, as in the son of James Potter. James and Lily Potter, you would know her as Lily Evans now." I turned to look at Sirius to see that his eyes were the size of two pound coins (or Galleons probably, this being the wizarding world and all) and his mouth hung open.

"You're completely bonkers" he shouted at me. "Absolutely mental. Lily and James have only just got together, I mean sure they could have a son in a few years but how would you know that? You're just a kid at this school who's had their memory modified or something." I laughed at him without humour and he turned away from me and looked at Dumbledore, "Sir, you can't believe what this... this nutter is saying!" he stuttered. "Maybe you should contact someone from St Mungo's? She obviously needs to be seen to!"

Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles at Sirius and sighed. "Mr Black, I am afraid that I believe what she is saying. She is not a student at this school or I would know who she was and I do not believe anyone is creative enough to implant this story in her head or get her on to these grounds. No, I believe future magic that we have no idea about is at work here and who knows Mr Black maybe she can help us win this war." He said with his blue eyes triumphant. "Please continue Miss Holon, Mr Black will hold his questions until you have finished your story" he told me firmly.

"Well I guess it started when a prophecy was told that the one to destroy the dark lord would come, I'm doing this from memory so it may not be word for word sir, but it'll be the best I can do." I said to Dumbledore and he nodded slowly. Sirius simply stared at me. "Ok, so erm... _'the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the dark lord himself shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power that the dark lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches.. he shall be born as the seventh month dies." _ The prophecy was given by Sybil Trelawney to you on the night of her job interview sir. However, you didn't realise that an intruder had been found by your brother Aberforth, a death eater by the name Severus Snape."

I was forced to stop here as Sirius stood up appalled and shouted "Snivellous! That foul git!"

I stood up too and put my hand on his shoulder looking him in the eye evenly before saying, "It's not what you think Sirius, if you let me explain you will see." He seemed to calm under my touch for which I was glad.

"So yeah, Severus took the part of the prophecy that he heard straight back to his master. There were two possibilities of who the child might be. The first being Harry Potter and the second Neville Longbottom. Each of their parents, Lily and James and Alice and Frank had joined the Order of the Phoenix when they left school and this led to them defying Voldemort three times. The Order was failing fast but Snape became a spy for Dumbledore on his orders, playing the double agent for both side and because of his love for Lily, he told Dumbledore whom the Dark Lord had chosen to go after..." I sighed and closed my eyes. I hated this part of the story and figured that part was going to be really hard on both the Professor and Sirius.

"Professor Dumbledore sent the Potter's into hiding with their son Harry. He placed the fidelius charm around the Potter's house and in the beginning James chose you, Sirius to be the secret keeper." Sirius looked up proudly. He'd had his head in his hands for the last few minutes digesting the information. I knew what he was thinking straight away and decided to carry on before he could comment. "So they stayed safe for a while but Sirius Black knew that Voldermort would come straight for him and though he would rather die than betray Lily, James or Harry (his godson), he created a ruse so that Voldemort would come for him instead of the new secret keeper, Peter Pettigrew. They kept the truth from everyone including Dumbledore and Remus Lupin (who Sirius believed to be a spy). What Sirius didn't know was that Pettigrew was the traitor."

Sirius jumped up at this point and shouted "NO!" and started pacing around Dumbledore's office.

"On the 31st October 1981 the fidelius charm was broken, but the Potter's did not know. The Dark Lord went straight to their house in Godrics Hollow with the intention to kill them all. The Potter's didn't have their wands with them when he came; Lily was getting Harry ready for bed as James threw his wand down. They heard the door crash down and James ran into the hall, realising who it was he told Lily to take Harry and run, Voldemort laughed before killing James Potter."

Sirius screamed here and I took a deep breath before continuing muttering "This is sick. This is so fucked up." under his breath again and again.

"Lily ran upstairs to Harry's nursery and attempted to barricade the door. Voldemort blasted it down and she put Harry in the crib and threw her arms out in front of him begging Voldemort for mercy and asking him to kill her instead. He decided to kill her anyway and as she crashed to the floor he didn't realise his fatal mistake. He turned his wand on little Harry Potter and attempted to use the killing curse on him but it back fired and hit him instead leaving him as less than a man, less than vapour. He left Harry Potter parentless with a lightning bolt scar across his forehead."

Sirius POV

Melody stopped speaking and looked down at her hands I could see thick tears pouring into them as if her grief reflected my own. Dumbledore looked completely shocked, he sat deadly still at his desk, his face as pale as death with tear tracks glistening on his ancient face. I couldn't bring myself to cry. I would not let this happen. This was all in her head, it had to be, but even as I thought this I realised how stupid I sounded. Nobody had this much imagination, nobody could make up such a story. I put my hand on her slim shoulder and gave it a squeeze and she looked up to me with her dazzling face.

"Thank you for telling us this, we can change it now." She looked shocked by what I was saying.

"But you don't understand, neither of you do! There is so much more to this story, so much that you would have to change, so much that you may not be able to change Sirius! If this wasn't all happening in my head then I would understand and I would be fighting at your side to change it but too much could go wrong!" she shrieked at me.

"With you on our side, you can help us. I want to know all of this Melody and I'm sure Professor Dumbledore does too. We can end this war now and not four years from now."

"Four years!" she laughed, "Four years? No Sirius! He will terrorise your world for another eighteen years until Harry Potter stops him. He isn't dead, he can't die!"

Dumbledore, who had remained in his pensive state behind his desk, raised at this point his eyes flashing and he demanded one question from her. "What do you mean he can't die?"

"He made Horcruxes sir, at least five before he tried to kill Harry Potter. I'd wager that's how many are in this world right now. Another is created when the curse back fires because part of his soul latches onto Harry and he can't die whilst Harry is alive. The next he creates when he comes back, fully resurrected, he uses a snake by the name of Nagini." She told him.

And a look of pure horror came onto his old face. "H-he cre-created Horcrux's?" Dumbledore fell back down onto his seat. I looked at Melody shocked and she gave me a questioning look before going around the table and resting her hand on Dumbledore's arm.

"I know that it is difficult to digest Sir, it sickened me when we were told about them in the books but Harry Potter does destroy them and he does destroy Voldemort."

I looked at her with serious pride (no pun intended) for my future god son but I knew I wouldn't let this happen. I wouldn't let my best friend die and I wouldn't let his future wife die. I would protect them. I would protect them all.

Melody POV

I took my hand off Dumbledore's arm and went to sit back down in my chair trying not to see the fierce pride that was emitting from Sirius' face. I shouldn't have told them this. What if this world was real and I had completely changed it? For the better or the worse I had still stopped what was to come and that was sure to have the butterfly effect. I put my hands to my temples and screwed my eyes shut.

"I want to go home now, I want to go home now." I thought over and over again in my head.

I needed to wake up or I wanted a damned good explanation of how this could have happened. It was impossible to time travel in any dimension or world but somehow I had been transported back to this year and it just had to be the year that Harry Potter's parents, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and all the others were still alive. The original order of the Phoenix was just forming not realising that they had already lost the war, that the majority of those in its ranks would not live to see their old age, not live to see the new millennium. So much life was lost, so much happiness was lost and it was his entire fault. All Voldermort's fault. If I was stuck in this world and if this world was real then be damned I was going to help them to destroy that bastard.

I looked up at Dumbledore again to see that he had his head in his hands, I turned to see Sirius with an expression of pure fury of his face and I had made my decision.

"I'm going to help you. I am not going to let Voldemort destroy all of you people if I have the chance to stop it. If this is a dream then so be it, but if it is not I can change so much. I want to tell you the rest of the story and then I want to help you fight. Please listen, I am going to tell you everything."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sirius POV

Melody recounted the rest of her story of all of the trials and tribulations that my godson would have to go through, The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Goblet of Fire, the Order of Phoenix, the Half Blood Prince and finally the Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore and I looked at her in awe. My godson had gone through so much, had fought so much, how could someone who had lost so much be so good and pure? I knew this much, Lily and James' son was the true carnation of a hero.

I was surprised and angry to hear that I had never been there for Harry when he grew up but understood her former comment about before Azkaban when she told us that story. I couldn't believe the way that little Peter Pettigrew had betrayed us all and framed me, the way he had made Remus feel as though he was alone for a good portion of his life, the way I had to spend twelve years of mine and Harry's in Azkaban prison whilst neglected by his own family and then fed and watered by the good natured Weasley family. I wasn't a crier usually, but I cried when she told us how I would die, how Dumbledore would die, Emmeline Vance, Amelia Bones and Mad Eye Mood and finally those lost of the final battle. Fred Weasley the young joker that made me laugh in her stories, Nymphadora Tonks my baby cousin that married and had a child with my other best friend and then Remus Lupin himself, my brother, after he had finally found his happiness from all the darkness and it had been cut away. The infamous Marauders were no more, leaving only two children bearing their names in this world, wasted and forgotten.

My fists clenched and I had never felt such fury in all my life I thought that if Voldemort came after me now that I would be able to tear him apart limb from limb, to destroy his death eaters with one curse. I could taste the bloodlust, the red clouded my vision I couldn't take this. I stood up again and walked over to the window of Dumbledore's office whilst he and Melody discussed little matters from her stories. I didn't want to hear anymore didn't want to feel anymore.

I looked over the Hogwarts grounds and marvelled at the beauty. It was dawn and rosy fingered rays of light were peaking over the snow capped mountains that surrounded the school. I had never fully realised or appreciated the beauty of Hogwarts. I couldn't believe how my life was supposed to happen. I couldn't believe how much I was going to lose. I wouldn't believe it; if I did I would go insane. I continued to stare across the grounds and so didn't notice when Dumbledore and Melody stopped talking. She came up to me and stood at my side taking my hand in hers as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

She sighed. "It's so beautiful here, I don't think I ever got it right in my head from the books." She chuckled and the turned to face me with an eager smile on her face. "Dumbledore said that I have to stay here. He explained that he is going to look into my family history but apparently I'm a witch otherwise I wouldn't be able to be here!" she beamed and then her face fell slightly. "I'm going to help you and Dumbledore Sirius. I won't let you fight this battle on your own."

I turned to her and smiled. The sun played with a red strand in her hair and her eyes looked and seemed to dance in the light of day.

"That's right, we'll all fight it together." He then looked her up and down and noticed that she was still wearing her skimpy night clothes and chuckled. "Though if you're staying here we should probably get you some clothes." She blushed as I winked at her.

"No matter Mr Black." Dumbledore chuckled from behind them. "I can sort that." And with a flick of his wand that exactly what he did. She stood before me in Hogwarts school robes minus the tie.

"Oh sir, what house will she be in?" I asked him interestedly.

"Well why don't we let the sorting hat decided, shall we?" he asked with a chuckle, pulling it off the shelf.

Melody POV

I sat down again at the desk with my new school robes on. I was really nervous about trying the sorting hat on. What if it put me in Slytherin? Sirius would want nothing to do with me and I wouldn't be able to help then, would I? Would they still believe my story? I sighed slightly as Dumbledore put the hat on my head.

"Hmm." A voice inside her head said. "If it isn't a Holon witch, I haven't seen one of you in generations! And from the future too? Interesting little thing you are aren't you? Well, not intending to be rude but you don't have the brain stimulation for Ravenclaw or the cunning for Slytherin." I chuckled under the hat. Well that's good I thought back to the hat. "Now, I think Hufflepuff wouldn't do you right, you wouldn't be happy there so it'll have to be... GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to Dumbledore and Sirius who were both beaming. With another flick of his wand Dumbledore gave me a red and gold tie.

"There you are then. I shall inform the Professor's of your situation and Professor McGonagall will be around to see you later. You can attend all of Mr Black's classes but if some aren't what you want then they can be changed later, you are lucky you came at the beginning of term. Now off with you!" he said loudly to us and he winked.

"This is going to be an interesting day Sirius Black!" I said beaming. He laughed at my enthusiasm. "Will you be ok today Sirius? I don't want to tell Lily, James or anyone anything today, ok? I think we should wait a while... We'll just make up a cover story for now. Ok?"

He looked at me confused and then nodded. "It is probably for the best Melody, yes. We don't want the traitor to go running to his little Slytherin friends and getting you kidnapped by Voldermort or something." I sighed and then took his hand. Completely excited I was going to eat in the great hall of Hogwarts and meet _the _Marauders and Lily Evans.

I pulled on Sirius' hand and ran towards the great hall that we'd passed last night. "Oh Sirius I'm excited come on!" We ran down the steps hand in hand and straight through the doors of the great hall.

Every face turned to stare and Sirius and I and then someone from the middle table shouted "What the hell Sirius! Who the hell is that?"

**(A/N: Yay! Chapter four, it's quite short but I wanted to get away from all the angst of telling Dumbledore and Sirius what was going on (yawn) and get down to the nitty gritty Hogwarts day to day life! I've written a few chapters in advance so I'm trying to edit them and get them up as soon as possible. I'm enjoying writing this story and hope that you guys are enjoying reading it! Pop me a review to let me know what you think! Thanks, forevertruex)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Sirius POV

Crap, crap, crap I thought to myself in desperation. How the hell had I manage to forget about Mandy? True we had only been together a few days because I was trying to take my mind off my mysterious dream girl, but I'd be pursuing her for a few weeks and now I decided to walk into the great hall hand in hand with another girl. I dropped Melody's hand automatically and she looked at me with questioning eyes to which I responded with a dry chuckle.

"That would be Mandy" I told her. "She's my girlfriend." Melody looked at me incredulously and then burst out laughing I heard her mutter "Oh shit" under her breath and it took all my self control not laugh with her. I gave her a small prod in the side and she stopped laughing and walked with me to the Gryffindor table.

I took her straight to Mandy and said "Look Mands, I know this looks a little dodgy but I was just showing Melody here where to go. She's a er..." I stopped and looked at Melody who grinned at me and then spoke.

"I've just transferred here, I was home schooled by my parents but they, um... they passed away and I have no other relatives so the ministry decided that I had to come here instead until I was I'd finished my examinations. I'm sorry about hand holding thing, I was just so eager and grabbed his hand in anticipation, I didn't realise how strange it would look, especially to his _girlfriend_." She lied smoothly and grinned cockily.

I looked at her sceptically, this girl was a genius! Mandy seemed to believe what she was saying because she cooled down a bit and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before turning to Melody.

"That's alright hon, it's not exactly unknown here that Sirius is a bit of a playboy." She turned to wink at me and then continued in a falsely sweet voice. "However I'm planning on getting it out of him. I'm Mandy Vane." She held out her hand to Melody who seemed to be trying to hold in a laugh. I wondered what all that was about but she simply smiled in response to my questioning look and took Mandy's hand.

"It is simply wonderful to meet you Mandy, I am really sorry; Sirius just didn't mention that he had a girlfriend!" They both smiled at each other coyly and Mandy took a seat on my left and Melody on my right. It was sufficiently awkward. Mandy kept trying to get my attention but I was too nervous about Melody meeting the Marauders and Lily and how I was going to react when I saw the rat.

"I have to ask one thing though Sirius." Mandy said sweetly, effectively stopping my train of thought. "Why the heck aren't you in your school robes?" I looked down at myself and realised that I was still wearing my pyjama bottoms and one of James' T-shirts and burst out laughing.

"Errr. Melody got here late last night and McGonagall came to the common room and I was the only one who happened to be up... I guess I'll go get changed after breakfast." I couldn't seem to lie as smoothly as Melody and I could see that she was holding in a laugh so I tried to avoid looking at her and concentrated on the table instead, it was suddenly interesting all of a sudden.

Mandy didn't say anything else so I started to grab some of the delicious breakfast from the table, filling up my plate and grabbing a huge cup of coffee (hey, it had been a long bloody night and I was a growing boy.) I smiled slightly and turned to say something to Melody but faltered when I heard a commotion outside the doors of the great hall.

"Potter what is all of this noise you are making?" I heard professor McGonagall demand suddenly because of the loud scuffling noise, there was a bang and two yells as though two people had been pulled apart.

"It's Padfoot... Sirius Black... professor, I can't bloody find him anywhere I was asking his little Slytherin brother here what the hell had happened to him as he was threatening him just yesterday!" James yelled back at her.

I started to rise of my seat to calm James down but as I did, McGonagall dragged him into the Great Hall with Moony, Wormtail and Lily at his tail, with appropriately abashed expressions as she pointed in my direction.

"You will find Mr Potter, that Mr Black is sitting eating his breakfast with the rest of the Gryffindors'. Now I suggest that you, Mr Lupin, Mr Pettigrew and Ms Evans go to join him and ten points from Gryffindor for threatening the other Mr Black." She scolded.

James looked completely murderous as he strutted over to me with the other three behind him, I heard Lily mutter "You can't just threaten people anymore Jamie you're head.." but she was cut off by James as he silenced her by putting up his hand.

"What the hell Padfoot?" He demanded. "Where have you been we've been worried sick! I've looked everywhere for you!"

I decided to play it cool and simply replied. "Sorry Prongs old pal, important business with the head master, yano? We have a new student and he wanted me to settle her in if ya know what I mean" I said cockily and winked at him.

"Sirius do you mind!" Melody and Mandy said at the same time both smacking me on the arm. I grinned at them. This could be an eventful day I thought happily as I pretended to pout and looked at James.

Melody POV 

I looked up into the face of James Potter as he threw himself in the seat across from Sirius quickly followed by Lily, Remus and Peter. He looked exactly like I thought he would, black hair, brown eyes, strong imposing figure and round wire rimmed glasses, I could see how he would be the father of Harry Potter, as they both described to look exactly the same. I searched his face hungrily taking in all of him before turning to the others.

I moved to my eyes to Lily who was looking at me kindly with her beautiful emerald eyes, she smiled at me and I grinned back. She was stunning. Her long red hair waved down past her shoulders and her pale face was kind and open, I could see in her that she was a person that could love unconditionally and _could _throw themselves in front of a killing curse to save their only child. She had the kind of quiet beauty that you see in shy people but I could also tell by her keen emerald eyes that she could be quite something if challenged.

I turned next to look at Remus Lupin, his was face was haggard and he looked exhausted, I widely wondered whether the full moon had been recently or was coming up. For his exhausted demeanour and scarred face, he was a good looking boy and his sandy hair flowed casually into his blue eyes, he had such a kind face and his brow was puckered as he looked at me in confusion wondering who I was and what my story was. His eyes were strong and intelligent and I felt sorry for him as I thought about the fate that waited for him.

Lastly I looked to Pettigrew. The first thing I felt was revulsion as I looked into his chubby face, with his shifty eyes, I wondered if I was seeing what I wanted to see because I knew what I did, but I wasn't sure, there just seemed to be something about the way he was greedily looking around at his friends, twitching in anticipation at being with such a 'cool' gang, liked and included (huh, this sounds familiar? I internally chuckled to myself and thought about just how much my mind had cracked.) I just couldn't fathom how he could turn his back on the people that had gone out of their way to be friends with him, he could have been on his own for seven years if they did not. I frowned and he looked into my eyes with curiosity but I just scowled at him and turned back to Sirius who I could see was glaring at Peter to and profusely ignoring Mandy who kept trying to get his attention from myself and his friends.

I saw James look at me from the corner of my eye and clear his throat and I looked away from Sirius and turned my head to look into his face again.

"I guess I should introduce myself as I am the reason Sirius wasn't around." I chuckled at the same time Sirius did and everyone's eyebrows furrowed at the obvious compatibility between us. "I'm Melody Holon" I said extending my hand towards him which he took with a smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you. It's unusual for someone to start this late though." He said narrowing his eyes slightly and taking in my Gryffindor robes and closeness to Sirius. Clearly he did not trust me and I really didn't want to lie to him, Lily or Remus and so I was pleased when Mandy piped up with a sly comment.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it James? She was homeschooled."

"Really?" He asked incredulously and I looked down, his scrutinising look was making me uncomfortable. Clearly sensing this Lily stuck her hand across the table to me.

"Well hello Melody" she said. "I'm Lily Evans, head girl. And this is James Potter, he's head boy. Remus Lupin, he's Gryffindor prefect and Peter Pettigrew, our crackin' good pal."

I quickly lifted my head and looked at her kind face and said "I know."

Sirius POV

I was getting irritated really quickly this morning. Everyone kept looking at Melody as though she couldn't be trusted and I really didn't like it. After the introductions were out of the way everyone started to watch her coyly whilst she ate. Lily with a kind and empathetic expression, James with a scrutinising one, Peter looked quite nervous at the glares he was receiving from both of us and Remus kept looking at me with a concerned expression when I ignored Mandy's irritating attempts to flirt with me and constantly looked at Melody to make sure she was alright.

She hadn't spoken in a while and I could see the conflicting expressions on her face whenever she looked up from her breakfast. They went from nervous and anxious to excited and happy but whenever I looked at her she would flush and lower her eyes, something that was clearly not missed by my friends. I wasn't really concerned about what they would say but could almost feel Mandy's anger rising as she continually couldn't get a response from me.

Breakfast passed by quickly with little interaction between us and I knew that something needed to change. I decided that was Mandy. She was really tiresome, why did I have to chase her for so long? Now it's going to piss her off more when I broke up with her because I know for certain that's what I'm gonna do right after breakfast. I turned to James and cleared my throat.

"Mate, I need you to take Melody to Defence this morning. Explain to Professor Cope that I'm on my way, I just need to go and get changed first, I don't think he'd appreciate the P.J look." I said and he smiled at me and nodded.

He turned to Melody and said. "It's fine that you walk with us, were all in the same lesson and you can sit with Lily if you want? I'll wait for Pads to get back and sit with him, that way you get to know Lily some more, I bet you'll probably be put in her dorm. There are only her and one other girl in there now since..." he trailed off and glanced at Lily who sucked in her breath and the colour drained from her face. Melody looked curious but let it go, clearly not wanting to upset Lily or ask questions.

The truth was that Lily had started off with five girls in her dorm but Alice Prewett and Marlene Mckinnon had been a year above us and left last year. Our other friend Mary McDonald had never come back after the sixth year. She and Lily were really close and it was a real blow for her to lose her best friend. There was only Emmeline Vance in her dorm now but they weren't really friends as Emmeline tended to band with the other girls of her year since Lily went out with James. She didn't want to have to spend time around me as she 'fancied' me and I didn't like her one bit. She was good looking but had a personality dry as stale piece toast.

Lily generally tended to be with us now as she had become real close to James at the end of the last year and got together with him at the beginning of this one. She was always happy to spend time with the girls that I went out with but she hated Mandy and wasn't the only one, none of the other Marauders could stand her. I only hoped that Melody would be able to stick around so that we could all get to know her.

People started to leave for the first lesson and I could see the excitement in Melody's face as my friends stood up and gestured for her to also.

I smiled encouragingly at her and said "You'll do great, I'll be along in five so don't worry about being alone with this lot." I gestured at them with a wink and Mandy cleared her throat with a scowl on her face.

I turned to her and smiled cockily. "If you wait with me Mand, I'll walk you to your lesson before I go to get changed." She grinned at me and I had to stop myself from groaning, this wasn't going to be easy.

My friends left quickly and I turned to Mandy who looked at me expectantly, I wanted to get over with this quickly.

"Look Mands, I know you're going to think I'm a right shit but...but I can't do this anymore" I gestured between us. "It just isn't working for me. I think you'd be better off with a lad in your year. I've got too much going on in my head with NEWT's coming up. It's not you, it's me." **(A/N: I just had to get this in here, it's seems like a very Sirius thing to say in this situation.)**

She looked at me with a mixture of shock and anger on her face. She jumped up and arms flaying madly and I ducked as one came towards my face. I wasn't lucking enough to miss the second one she slapped me hard across the cheek.

"TWO WEEKS!" she yelled. "TWO BLOODY WEEKS YOU CHASED ME FOR YOU... YOU... Arghhhh!" she went to hit me again but someone shouted "Immobulus!" and she stopped with her hand mid swing, looking at me dazed. I looked around her to see Lily standing by the door with a smirk on her face and wand in hand and I grinned knowing how long she had wanted to hex Mandy. James, Remus and Peter stood behind her roaring with laughter along with the other lingering students in the room. However it was Melody's face that stood out to me, it was priceless. She stood stock still her mouth wide open and her eyes shocked but amused. I laughed as I realised this was only the second piece of magic that she had seen. I grinned at her frozen expression and started towards her and slowly bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Impressive huh? I bet you can't wait until you can do that." She blushed lightly and I winked at her. Putting my arm behind her shoulders and turning her towards my laughing friends leaving Mandy immobilised.

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><p><strong>(AN: Yay, chapter five done! I'm hoping to speed things up a bit from here, I'm gonna do the first day in depth and maybe put some more character POV's, in just to thicken up the story a bit. If you're still reading, please review! Thanks, Forevertruex)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Melody POV

I snickered to myself when I thought of what I'd just seen, this was the coolest fricken' dream ever! I walked quietly through the castle absorbing my surroundings. I couldn't believe how cool it was here. It was so beautiful, I was fascinated by the talking portraits and all the students bustling around quickly. Somewhere on the our journey to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom Sirius left to go and get changed and I felt a bit awkward without his presence. His friends seemed really nice but I couldn't quite shake the feeling of awkwardness especially when I knew how each of these individuals was going to die. I kept my head down whilst he was gone and just nodded or 'hmm'ed' when they asked me a question. As the group started to slow down, we were quickly approaching the classroom, Sirius turned up again at my side and I smiled widely at him earning myself the cutest grin in return.

"I'm feeling a party in the common room tonight guys!" Sirius suddenly shouted cheerfully and his friends stopped in the corridor and turned to look at him with concerned eyes.

"Again Pads?" James asks his brow furrowing. "We had one a couple of days ago and it looks as though you haven't slept in a week.

Sirius brushed this aside completely and said "Yeah, but we have celebrate the arrival of Melody and her excellent timing. She deserves a party Gryffindor style!" He continued happily. I sighed, I didn't want to start discord with his friends and a party really didn't sound like a good idea when _I _hadn't slept for days.

I turned to Sirius and said "Maybe another night, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. I haven't been sleeping at all before I came here and then last night was a long one." I winked at him and he smirked whilst his friends looked at me with confusion, they still don't know where I'm from I thought awkwardly.

Sirius still looked a little disappointed for a moment but then appeased when he took in my suggestion for having a party another night, I had a feeling I was going to get on with him easily, I loved a good party and I had a feeling partying with Sirius Black could be quite the experience.

"Ok guys, we'll have a party in a couple of days I guess, but were gonna' do it properly!" He cheered and grabbed by hand before striding ahead of his friends who all looked confused about the way that he had just accepted not having a party. I had a feeling that it wasn't something that they were used to. "Now come on! We're gonna be late." He called back to his friends and I laughed at his enthusiasm.

Sirius POV

We walked into the Defence classroom quickly and I dropped Melody's hand and motioned for her to sit down at the table that Lily and James usually occupied, she quickly sat and I could see the nervousness on her face as she sat down quietly and looked around, I felt bad for not sitting with her, especially in her first lesson in this new world but I figured it would be best for her to get to know Lily because she was going to do all she could to save her life. As Lily was about to sit next to her I grabbed her arm to whisper in her ear.

"Try and talk to her a bit Lils, I know I've just met her but she seems quite fragile under the confident exterior she is putting up and this is kind of new to her." I stopped when I saw Lily's eyebrows raise and she inclined her head towards me in interest. "She doesn't have a wand yet either so I guess you'll have to explain the theory to her, I know the teachers should have been informed about her situation from Dumbledore so Professor Cope should understand, though I doubt she'll need a wand in this lesson. I just feel it'd be best for you guys to bond a little?"

She smiled her beautiful, kind smile at me, nodded and sat down next to Melody giving her a huge smile too but with blatant interest and curiosity in her eyes. I sighed in relief and sat down at the table behind Melody and Lily next to James.

"Hey pads. What's going on man?" he asked me in an undertone. I turned to look at him and saw the confusion and wonderment in his eyes, it became apparent quickly that we needed to feed my friends as story as to why Melody was here before they could get too suspicious.

"There's not much I can really tell you now Prongs, I know that Melody wants to be able to tell you guys her story, she feels she owes you that much." He raised his eyebrows in surprise so I rushed to continue. "This is a weird one man, trust me, it'll blow your mind. I just wanna be able to take care of her today. She isn't used to this world so I'd appreciate it if you would watch out for her today as well?"

He nodded quickly and I sighed in relief. "Thanks Jamie."

Melody POV

I was a nervous wreck sitting next to Lily Evans in the Hogwarts Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. I tried not to look around or fidget but I couldn't seem to help it. The classroom wasn't what I expected from the descriptions of Defence teachers long past in the Potter books. I was expecting dark creatures in cages, dark magic detectors or hell, even kitten plates on the wall. However one thing I could say about this classroom was that it was dull. There were no cool magical instruments on the walls or desks, or cool magical creatures in cages. The walls were just the plain grey washed stone in consistency with the rest of the castle. There were books upon books stacked up on the desks near the walls but there was nothing that showed the personality of the teacher at all. As if on cue the back door to the classroom open and a rather timid, balding old man walked in with his wand in his hand. There was nothing intimidating or cool about this man at all, in fact he looked as though one strong wind would knock him off his feet. He had wispy white hair on either side of his head and large bushy eyebrows that shrouded a pair of beetle black eyes. He made his way to the front of the classroom and sat down behind his desk.

"Good morning class." He rasped out in a gritty, dead sounding voice.

I turned to Lily to see her reaction to this. She had her head resting on one of her hands with a bored morose expression on her face, her eyes slightly glazed over.

"So, I take it this is as riveting as this lesson gets?" I whispered under my breath.

She chuckled quietly, "Yupp, professor Cope is a sweetie but duller Merlin's favourite undies." She whispered back and I laughed at the idiom.

"Now, today class I want you to turn to chapter 7 in your Grade 7 Advanced book of spells and discuss between yourself the effective ways to block unfriendly spells."

Nobody moved and there was a dead beat of silence in the class. I turned to look at Lily incredulously and noticed that her head was once again in her hands. I couldn't believe this, reading a book in their seventh year? Shouldn't they be studying for their NEWT's? I looked back to the teacher and raised my hand.

"...and I realise that it may be a dull topic but... errr, y-y-yes young lady?" he stuttered as he noticed my hand in the air, he clearly was not one for confrontation.

"Well excuse me professor, but I'm new here and don't have a book. Professor Dumbledore said that he would tell the staff about me?" I questioned as sweetly as I could.

"Why of course!" he exclaimed excitedly in his raspy voice. "Ms. Holon, he did tell me about you. Yes, just share a book with Miss Evans there for today. And if that's all I'm going to go and get myself a nice cup of tea from the staff room."

I looked back at him dumbfounded but again, didn't miss a beat. "You're leaving the classroom?" the students around me drew in a shocked breath and I heard Sirius chuckle behind me.

"Yes young lady I am. Do you have something to say about that?"

"Well, it strikes me as a little odd. I mean, I know that I am new here but shouldn't you, you know, teach?" There was silence in the classroom and the professor looked at me with a shocked expression, apparently nobody spoke out of turn to a Hogwarts professor. His cheeks coloured and he looked down timidly before replying.

"Well my dear" he said to me with forced sweetness in his quiet voice. "I hardly think it is necessary to watch over you whilst you read a chapter of a book. Do you?"

"Actually, I do. Where I come from teachers don't leave the room to just let students do what they want. They're in their final year, shouldn't you actually be teaching them something and not making them read a chapter on 'how to block defensive spells?' when that should have been learnt in what, their third year?"

"I wasn't aware that you had learnt the teaching syllabus of by heart Miss Holon and I'd prefer it if a seventeen year old girl did not dictate to me my job. Especially when said seventeen year old girl has not been aware of a school environment before." I drew in a shocked breath. That was below the belt. He shouldn't have just basically announced that I had no idea what I was doing here to the whole class. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought this as I heard a chair scrape against the floor behind me and I turned to see Sirius standing up, fury evident on all of his features.

"Now hold on just a minute! That is hardly fair. She was only confused by your teaching methods _professor_" Sirius spat at him.

"Mr Black sit down!" Professor Cope exclaimed in a squeaky voice, looking quite flushed. "I will have no more of this, twenty points from Gryffindor from both you and Ms Holon, I will not be spoken to like that in my own classroom and you will see fit that it does not happen again. Now all of you turn to chapter 7 and read what I have told you to. I will be back to check your _progress _soon." And with that he stormed from the classroom to an uproar of cheers and giggling from the class.

Sirius POV

I sat at the table behind Melody with my head resting in my hand, the same stance of most of the students in the classroom, and stared at the back of her head. Her hair was beautiful, black as night and waved gently to the middle of her back. I heard professor Cope enter but didn't look up. I used to love DADA but since he started this year it just got duller and duller. I didn't listen to what he said but just watched Melody's mannerisms. I wasn't sure what was so fascinating but I held my breath slightly as she turned to mutter a question to Lily under her breath, her brow furrowed and confusion in her dark eyes, I watched as confusion turned to amusement as she turned away and then held her hand in the air to address professor Cope. I watched the way her back arched when she had her hand in the air and he shoulders stiffen as the professor refused to give her satisfactory answers to her questions. When he insulted her by telling her that she didn't know what went on in a classroom I saw red. He shouldn't have said that in front of the class they would have already been curious about Melody's arrival and now it was going to be worse. She turned around when she heard the chair scrape along the floor and I saw interest and worry etched on to her face as I scolded the professor on what he said. When Cope left the room I sat back down on my chair listening to the class snickered because of what had just happened.

"What is going on with you today Pads?" James asked me seriously.

"I dunno mate, I'm losing my mind." I replied. He chuckled darkly under his breath.

"Well Padfoot you may have only just met her, but you're defiantly hooked."

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><p><strong>Two chapters in one day you lucky lot! I hope this is alright, I kinda went of on a tangent here so I had to reign it back in a bit because if I kept writing Melody would have been dueling the professor without a wand! lol. Alas, she will have one soon. The next chapter should open that up and we'll see Melody and Sirius back with Dumbledore to discuss 'options'. Anyway, please review if you've enjoyedhated/loved it. thanks, Forevertruex**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven 

Sirius POV 

The morning of Melody's first day at Hogwarts practically flew by and I was surprised as to how well she was adjusting. It was sort of unnatural how quickly she seemed to fit in with me and my friends, even more astonishing was her acceptance, I gathered that since she sort of had her own knowledge of our world through those books it would helped adjustment.

She seemed shy around people who were bold enough to come up and introduce themselves to her. She would look down and blush, scuffing her shoes on the floor. This caught me off guard, I expected her to be quite confident, she seemed that way with me and my friends, but she didn't seem to like the jealous stares from the ordinary (in my opinion) looking girls of Hogwarts, or the searching glances of the lower class men all competing for alpha male. She simply tried to ignore it all, it was fascinating.

My attention was flagging as the day drew on longer and the sleepless nights were really weighing down heavy on my shoulders as I slumped my way between the lessons. It seemed as though Melody's own sleepless nights were catching up to her also. Her face became more drawn and she was less chatty with Lily as the day processed. We both walked side by side to lunch in a tired air drawn out between us as James, Lily, Remus and the _rat _chatted between themselves.

I couldn't stand being around Peter that day and it was clear to all. James and Lily kept giving me questioning looks whenever I snapped or was rude to Peter where Remus, being his calm self, just ignored it. Melody was the only one who knew what was going through my mind and I could tell that she was finding it hard to make conversation or be polite to Peter also.

We sat side by side at the Gryffindor table in silence and helped ourselves to just coffee, ignoring the food that was on display whist people around us gorged themselves to gain energy to last the rest of the school day. James and Lily were giggling quietly between themselves; they were so in love it was nauseating. I sat looking at them in envy thinking about how I was never going to have that, even though I now that I knew how my future was going to turn out. How could I even think about being in love when I knew what was meant to happen? If it did happen the way it was meant to because we, Dumbledore, Melody and I, failed to stop it then what would be the point?

I could never be happy if I lost my best friend. James had always been there for me. He had seen the difference in me and the rest of my family the first time we met and I couldn't live without him laughing, fighting or supporting at the side of me. He was so good and pure, he didn't deserve to die. The girl he had been in love with since day one, didn't deserve to die and their child, the purest man I had ever heard of, didn't deserve to go through so much because of all the wrong decisions we made and because one man seeks to rule over us. It made me so angry to think that I would lose so much and to make it worse, lose things that I had never even considered properly. I wasn't necessarily happy with the thought of settling down. At seventeen years old, who is? I never thought that I would want that but now, with it all seemingly taken away from me I couldn't help but crave what Lily and James had.

Sensing my stare Lily looked away from James and turned to me with her dazzling warm smile. I had thought about her beauty before of course, how could I not when James was always outlining every detail of her face, but I had never fully appreciated it. She was so pure and it radiated in her features. Her emerald eyes brimmed with happiness now that she had finally accepted that she was in love with my best friend. Her rosy cheeks and wide smile just beamed a breathtaking love that wasn't hard for anyone else to see and it warmed me inside. I smiled warmly back at her and I noticed the appreciation flash through her eyes, glad that we could finally get along. I looked away from her and she turned back to James who was staring idly into space, they caught each other's gaze once more and got lost.

I stare into space for a while lost in my thoughts and so I jumped when I felt Melody shift beside me and place her hand on my leg. The warm of her little palm sent an electric shock wave through my body and I felt complete having her that close. I looked up and was immediately locked in her gaze. It was strange and unnerving how this stranger had such a hold over me so quickly, I tried to look away but couldn't, my breath caught as she learned in closer to me and I inhaled her sweet smell. She moved her head a placed her lips close to my ear before speaking and I was drowning in the glory of her.

"That boy over there... At the Slytherin table..."

She lifted her head and looked over. My eyes followed her gaze and narrowed slightly out of habit.

"Is that Severus Snape?"

I continued to look at the boy who that I have hated for so long and nodded. She smiled at me and then moved away slightly and continued looking at him, a contemplative expression on her face. Snape wasn't looking our way, which wasn't odd. He rarely did in case we noticed and decided to attack him. It had been little over a year since me and James stopped hexing him for no good reason, though sometimes I found myself itching to do it. I didn't like Snape, nobody did, not even Lily anymore but after hearing what I did last night I couldn't help but feel gratitude for the boy. His love for Lily helped to save her son time and time again and although I know he only did it because he thought he owed it to her and not James, I couldn't help but feel it. He hates James more than me and going out of his way to save his child, although said child was bullied by Professor Snape, it still left something to be desired.

Melody moved again next to me and I broke my gaze with Snape and looked at her as she stood up and gracefully moved walked away from the Gryffindor table over to the Slytherin table ignoring the shocked eyes that followed her procession.

Melody POV

I got up from the Gryffindor table trying to ignore the shocked eyes of Sirius and his friends as I walked over to where Severus Snape sat alone with his head bent over a book, not touching the food in front of him. I wondered what I was doing. I had never had any sympathy for Snape's character, even when it was told that he loved Lily. How did that excuse anything? He was still a death eater and he may have chosen the good side eventually but he did it for his own means and no one else's. If Lily Evans had never been killed then he would have still be on the side of Voldemort killing and torturing. He only tried to protect the child of the prophecy once he learnt it was hers, Neville Longbottom could have died for all he cared, yet here I was, walking across the Great Hall of Hogwarts, willing to talk to him, willing to give him a chance to change before he made the wrong decision, he clearly had goodness in him if he could love and protect.

I made it to the Slytherin table and walked along it ignoring the dark stares of the students there and sat down next to Snape who continued to look at his book. He spoke without looking up.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he said in a low voice.

"My name is Melody Holon."

I held out my hand, which he ignored.

"And you're Severus Snape."

He continued to ignore me, not even asking how I knew his name.

"You live in Spinners End, Cokeworth. Your mother is Eileen Prince, your father Tobias Snape, who is a muggle. You have a potions book that your write your own spells in and which is labelled 'Property of the Half Blood Prince' because you hate your father who has never excepted magic and thus you indulge yourself because you are half a pureblood."

Through my speech Snape looked up from his book with shock and anger shown plain in all the features on his face. I could see from his expression that Lily didn't know anything about the potions book so she couldn't have told me. His mouth hung slightly open and the expression in his black eyes was unfathomable.

"Right, now that I have your attention. I'll introduce myself again. I am Melody Holon."

I held out my hand again which he took and shook in shock without looking away from my eyes and still not speaking.

"I want you to know Severus that I am taking a huge leap here, I generally don't trust you, but I am going to give you a chance if you want it."

He nodded quickly and cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes, I want to know how you know those things about me."

He hesitated and then added.

"It's nice to meet you."

"I think the same." I said ignoring his previous statement.

"Now, I want you to meet me in the room of requirement. Do you know where that is?" He nodded.

"Good. I want you to meet me there tomorrow at seven o'clock. I want to warn you now, so that you have the chance to change your mind."

I stopped and looked around to see if anyone was listening. I noticed a few lower years Slytherin's looking at us intently and I lowered my voice slightly.

"James, Remus and Lily will be there, along with Sirius. I want the chance to explain things about me to them to. This is really important but I know that this company might be difficult for you to be in. So it's your choice Snape."

He stared at me intently for a few minutes the expression in his eyes unreadable and then he turned to look to where the Marauders and Lily were sitting and staring at us from on the Gryffindor table. Lily's eyes narrowed slightly they made eye contact and I heard Snape gulp audibly as he looked away.

He nodded and then said, "That's... that's ok. I'll be there"

"Be alone Snape, I won't offer you a second chance."

He nodded again and I got up to leave. Walking back over to the Gryffindor table where Sirius waited I wondered if I had just made a huge mistake.

Sirius POV

I watched as Melody made her way back over to the Gryffindor table in frustration as her naturally pale face pulled over in worry and she swept her long black hair off her face, seeming not to notice the action. I was frustrated because all though I knew that she thought Sniv...Snape deserved a chance I wasn't sure if now was the time to talk to him. She hadn't even been here a day, we hadn't even told my friends where she had come from yet and there she went rousing suspicion about herself by going over and talking to Severus Snape.

I watched the whole interaction between them and was pleased to see that something that she had said to him had caused him to pale and I wondered what she was saying order to get him to trust her. No doubt using her knowledge of his life to get at him, I couldn't even think about using it to my own advantages though, especially now I knew that he had the same sort of home life I did. I noticed that as she inclined her head slightly as to asses Severus' reaction, before uttering a few more words and getting up to walk away, his eyes brightened slightly. I glowered hoping to god that he wasn't thinking what I thought he was - it was bad enough her panted after Lily still.

As she sat down next to me again I realised that my friends had also been watching her talk to Snape, as had most others in the hall. James, Lily, Remus and Peter turned to look at her as she sat down. James suspicious, Lily angry yet concerned, Remus confused and wondering, and Peter with something that looked like frustration (I wondered what that was about). She ignored them however and chose to pick up her mug of coffee instead looking at the table.

I cleared my throat and she looked up, inclining my head towards her slightly I whispered "What was that about?" in a voice to low for my friends to hear.

"I invited Severus to meet me tomorrow. I want to tell him about myself. We're meeting in the Room of Requirement at seven."

She stopped talking a turned to my friends who were listening with shocked expressions on their faces. What was she up to?

"I want you guys to come as well, just James, Lily and Remus."

She turned to Peter with a cold expression and said "Sorry Peter, just them for the time being."

Turing back to my friends, ignoring Peters hurt and their annoyed expressions she continued.

"It's important that you come, I want you to know that you can trust me and I trust you already."

They all nodded slightly still confused as I sat in shock. I felt a strange bout of anger overcome me. What was she doing? We hadn't decided that it was ok for her to tell them yet!

"Melody?" I asked, she turned to me, her expression unreadable so I continued.

"Could I have a word, er, outside?"

She nodded and stood up quickly and walked towards the entrance in silence. Noticing that I hadn't moved she turned back and beckoned me with an enticing smirk. I tried not to glower at the boys watching her walking through the doors as though she was some sort of show. I got up quickly and followed her, my heart rate speeding slightly in a strange feeling of excitement. She had too much control already.

She stood waiting for me outside of the doors with her arms folded across her chest and her back pressed against the wall. She looked so beautiful standing there that I forgot that I was angry with her, forgot that she was not a normal girl from my time, forgot that I had only known her for twenty four hours. I forgot my own name as I walked towards her.

She lifted her head up as I came close and smiled widely at me, her arms unfolded and came down to her sides and I tried not to notice how the school robes clung to her but didn't do much justice to what I knew was underneath. Shaking those thoughts I quickly walked over and stood at the side of her.

"What are you playing at?" I asked quietly.

She didn't reply so I turned on my side to face her and noticed that she was trying hard to keep a stoic expression on her face. This irritated me. What would she want to hide from me? I quickly moved to stand in front of her, our bodies almost touching, mine pressing hers to the wall and lifted my arms up, leaning them on the wall so that they were on either side of her head. I heard her gulp audibly and I wondered if I should back off a little.

"Come on Melody, you've gotta tell me what you're doing. I'm on your side here, I wanna help you."

She smiled at me sweetly and nodded.

"Sorry. It's just so hard being here." Her voice trailed off slightly at the end.

"I love it but I can't help but feel sad. I know this is a dream and that it's all happening inside my head but I just want to be able to help even if it is ya'no?"

I nodded and looked down at the ground, lowering my arms from the wall but not moving from in front of her. I forgot she thought this was all a dream, it made me quite sad that she couldn't accept it as something real, my suspicions to how she was handling it suddenly came back stronger as she continued to speak.

"I just feel so awful because I know if I step a toe out of line I could change everything for the worse and all I want to do is make it better. I want to help you, help your friends, help your world. It's just so beautiful here. It's hard to think that someone wants to take it over and destroy it, even more so now that I'm here and it's real for me."

I lifted my left and placed it on the side of her face pushing her further back against the wall as I did so, feeling a rush of excitement go through me.

"You've changed so much just being here already, Melody. This world, whether it is a dream or real, is what you make of it and it's for you to decide what your choices are."

I stopped as I watched emotions play across her face as she took in my words.

"Whatever happens now, I'll be at your side as much as I'll be at James' or Remus'. I can feel that you're important and together we can stop him destroying it all. You just have to believe. Do you want to believe?"

She gulped and then nodded entwining her left hand with my right. We stared at each other, the brown eyes met the gray and we got lost, not noticing that our faces were inching closer. I breathed in her sweet breath as her mouth was just centimetres away from mine just one more little push and I'd be able to touch them... so close... just a little more...and then a voice started from somewhere behind us, making us both jump and bang heads.

"Mr Black! Miss Holon! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

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><p><strong>Hello! I know it's been a couple of weeks since i've updated but i've been ill and the doctor was like; 'no work or going on your computer or over exerting yourself', so basically I had to abandon everything for a few days and then I had to catch up on all the work i'd missed so I was stressed out anyway. The logic in that was where Mr Doctor man? Who knows.<strong>

** Anyway, this chapter went of on a bit of a tangent, the story wasn't moving fast enough so I decided to pick up the pace a bit, make things a little more interesting. Hopefully the next chapter will be a trip out of school and maybe the Room of Requirement meeting but I'll see how it goes. Anyway, enjoy and if you're still reading then please review! Thanks, forevertruex**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Melody POV

Our heads banged together as we jumped. A female Scottish voice came from behind Sirius and I looked up into his eyes blushing furiously as he looked down at me. Lust was burning in his clear grey eyes but he quickly turned away to face Professor McGonagall. I positioned myself slightly behind his back, looking at the floor and brushing down my robes quickly.

She cleared her throat and my head snapped up. I peaked around Sirius' shoulder to look at her. She held my gaze and gave me a long searching look, interest and shock showing in the plains of her stern face. I blushed again as I realised the implications of the situation that she had caught us in. How could I be so stupid? I had only been here twenty four hours and already I was lusting after the closest thing I have to a friend Well, I thought sadly, I know what my mother would say... 'You've never been any good Melody... Lusting after boys... you'll break your own heart girl, mark my words, one day a boy will go through you like you go through them...' and here I was about to kiss a boy in a make-believe world! What is wrong with me?

An awkward moment passed and Sirius cleared his throat.

"What is it Professor?" he asked politely, with a slight hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"IIts.." she stopped to collect herself whilst continuing to look at us with shock. I blushed again. "Oh yes. It's just that Professor Dumbledore wanted me to come and find you both to bring to his office. He wants to take Miss Holon to Diagon Alley and wishes for you to accompany her." She said quickly.

"Ok professor, lead the way." Sirius told her.

I slowly walked behind the two of them on the already familiar path to Dumbledore's office, a jumble of thoughts in my head. What is wrong with you? I asked myself. I couldn't understand why I had been about to kiss him. Moments before I was angry that he was angry at me for talking to Snape. Of course then he had to be all _understanding! _... _Most_ boys didn't understand... No, I thought, stop it. You cannot fall for Sirius Black this is a dream! This is a dream, I repeated again and again, this is a dream and I want to wake up. This is a dream. This isn't real!

"This isn't real!" I said aloud stopping in the middle of the corridor. Sirius and professor McGonagall stopped abruptly, from several paces ahead, and turned around to face me.

"Im sorry" I said slowly moving so that I could sit on the floor before I fell down. "But I can't do this!" I continued loudly. "Its time to wake up now Melody! Wake up! Wake up!" I shouted and shouted to myself to 'wake up!' with my hands over my ears and my eyes closed.

I feel firm warms hands wrap around my shoulders and shake me slightly but I still didn't open my eyes. I continued to shout to myself to wake up and didn't stop rocking backwards and forwards, didn't pay attention to the hands that started to roughly shake me. I knew that I was overreacting but I just couldn't understand why I wasn't waking up. Wake up, wake up and wake up, over and over.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" I screamed tears falling down my burning cheeks.

The hands shook me harder to try and gain my attention but I knew I'd completely lost it now. I took my hands from ears and sat crying on the cold hard floor still begging myself, in my thoughts, to wake up. I could her frantic whispering and didn't pay attention as the rough hands were removed from my shoulders and an arm went around my waste hoisting me up from the floor and into a strong pair of arms into the bridal position. I only opened my eyes when I could feel the rocking movements beneath me as someone pelted along the corridor. I saw Sirius' face above me, frantic with worry, screwed up in concentration as he ran with me towards Dumbledore's office. I started to cry again, I was still here! What was going on, why wouldn't I wake up?

"Sirius?" I whispered in a tiny voice. He ignored me and continued forwards panting slightly because of my weight and his running. He came to an abrupt stop and shouted 'Acid pops!' at the gargoyle and quickly walked up the staircase with me still in his arms. I could hear panting behind him and assumed that Professor McGonagall had been running in his wake. They were clearly both worried about me but I couldn't stop myself from crying. The door of the office opened and I looked to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway a look of deep worry etched on his face.

"Is she alright Sirius?" he asked frantically. "What happened?"

Sirius entered the office without answering Dumbledore's question. He went straight to Dumbledore's desk and placed me down in the chair. I sat up straight and wiped my hair off my face as Sirius frantically wiped my eyes, extreme worry showing in his own. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were beside us in an instant.

"Shh." Sirius cooed wiping away the thickly falling tears. "It's alright, it'll be ok. I'm sorry Melody, I'm so sorry."

Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged a small look and a slight dawning expression came on to Dumbledore's face. He stepped forward and pulled the frantic Sirius away before kneeling down in front of me himself. My crying stopped as I looked in to his piercing blue eyes. My breath still hitched slightly but I was calming down. I immediately felt a great dose of shame and embarrassment on my part as I realised what was happening.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to him and he smiled slightly, though his eyes were still a little wary. "I just panicked. I really thought this was a dream. I just thought if I stopped and ordered myself to wake up then I would... I'm really stuck here aren't I?" I asked in a small voice. He nodded looking grave.

"Yes Melody, I would think that you are. I am so very sorry. I assure you this is not what I want. I wish I could easily send you back to your time but we don't know what force has brought you here. I don't think you will ever be able to return."

I started to cry again thinking of my mother. We didn't always see eye to eye but she was the only family I had and I was the only family that she had. It would kill her now that she had lost me. I didn't know what I was going to do. The thought hadn't really occurred to be last night although Dumbledore had told me this was real and that I would not be able to return I still thought it might not be true. Now however, my exhaustion was catching up to me and dragging me down. I knew from past experiences that when I was this tired I panicked. However I think that in this situation even the bravest of people wouldn't be able to cope. I felt lost, but knew I wasn't alone.

I looked up again, away from Dumbledore and to Sirius. He was standing on the other side of the desk looking edgy, guilt and worry clear on his face. He looked up and saw that I was looking, when my eyes met his stormy grey ones I realised with so much conviction that I was defiantly not alone.

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><p><strong>Hello! I'm sorry sorry sorry that it's taken me so long to update and this isn't such a brill chapter. I'm not going to make any excuses for it, I just felt like I needed to just have a Melody chapter in order to show how she would be feeling. Before this she's been all happy and brilliant at handling the situation but I think I needed to but across that she wasn't going to be. I mean she's lost her mum being in order to be there, so who'd be alright with that? I will defiantly be doing the Diagon Alley and Snape &amp; Marauders in ROR next chapter. <strong>

**If you are reading please review! I love it when someone reviews!**

**Anyway enjoy! **

**Forevertruex**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Sirius POV

Melody's outburst made me panic, I couldn't understand why she was fine one minute and on the floor screaming the next. Nothing Professor McGonagall or I did could stop her from crying and screaming so I did the best thing that I knew how to do and pulled her into my arms and ran as fast as I could to Dumbledore. I felt so guilty. Backing her up against the wall and nearly kissing her was clearly to fault. How stupid could I be? We hadn't even known each other twenty four hours and I was hitting on her were there no depths that I wouldn't stoop to? Self loathing overloaded me as I apologised to Melody, I couldn't believe I had hurt this beautiful, kind girl. To hear and see her so upset ripped at my heart, I wished that I could somehow stop it but I knew it was something she needed to get out of her system. She knew now that it wasn't a dream and that she couldn't go home, believe me after what I had learnt last night I wished that it was a dream to, but at least I was still here, where I belonged, she had lost her family.

When she finally calmed down and looked at me, her sharp, piercing brown eyes felt as though they were looking into the depths of my soul, I knew that neither of us were alone in this. I knew that I would do all I could to help her, to be whatever she needed me to be, I would protect her with my life if that is what she needed. Her brown eyes were so full of trust and loneliness that I knew in that instant she needed me. I walked around the desk and quickly pulled her into a hug.

"It'll be ok Melody, I promise." I murmured into her soft hair. She nodded against my chest and tightened her arms around me.

"Thank you Sirius." She whispered and then let go turning to face Dumbledore.

"I'm so sorry for my outburst. I just panicked I guess. It's quite terrifying to be bought back to the past. My parents aren't even teenagers in this time and I'm in a completely different world to them, it's just a lot to take in."

"Nobody is surprised Melody." Dumbledore replied in his calm voice, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm just surprised it took you so long, most people wouldn't have been able to hold it in. Just know that if you need anything, Professor McGonagall, Sirius and I are here to help. We will help to get you settled in and to see that you can have a life here."

I watched as Melody smiled slowly and nodded at Dumbledore, clearly relieved that she wasn't being left to deal with all of this alone.

"So..." I started. "What did you bring us here for in the first place?" I cocked my head to the side and winked at Melody who suppressed a giggle in return.

"Ah yes." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily as he watched the interactions between us. "I wanted to let you know that you both have permission to leave the school. I will of course accompany you if you prefer, but I think Miss Holon here needs a little trip to Diagon Alley to get her school supplies don't you think?"

I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that this was all it was and that Melody would get to see more parts of our world. The sooner she got a wand the better as well, I thought to myself, especially if anyone gets wind that she's not from this time, she'll be a prime target.

"Well that's up to Melody sir." I said. "If she wants you to come then by all means, however it can just be the two of us if she prefer, I certainly know my way around."

Melody smiled at me and I could see that she was thinking about what would be best.

"Is it safe?" she asked and I knew she was thinking about what time she'd been transported to. "Only, what if _he_ attacks? I know it's unlikely but if he gets hold of me or Sirius and forces us to tell him what we know, it could be a disaster."

"You are right Miss Holon." Dumbledore replied. "I will accompany you to Diagon Alley, however I will stay in the Leaky Cauldron whilst you and Mr Black shop, that way I am at hand if anything goes wrong and you and Sirius here can get to know each other better." He said, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Ok" I said to Dumbledore. "How are we going to get there?"

"We'll floo to the Hogs Head Pub and then apparate from there. It would be easier to floo straight to the Leaky Cauldron but we don't want Miss Holon to get lost along the way."

I thought about this for a moment and then nodded smiling slightly. It was going to be so refreshing to get out of school, if only for a little while. I knew it could be dangerous, especially in the middle of the day in Diagon Alley with Voldemort trying to build up his forces but Melody needed to be protected and for that she was going to need a wand. The three of us stood up and walked to the fireplace. I took a pinch of floo powder from the pot next to the fire and turned to Melody.

"Watch me first, you have to speak really clearly, you'll be engulfed in green flames and the ash will catch in the back of your throat and you'll be spun around really fast but it'll be over quickly enough!" I smiled at her encouragingly and she gave me a nervous smile in return, her eyes still puffy, but she now looked all together a lot more cheerful.

"Ok then, here it goes." I said to her dusting the floo powder into the flames and stepping into the fireplace. "The Hog's Head." I shouted clearly, I got one last look at Melody's nervous face as I spun.

Melody POV

I watched in a state of complete nervousness as Sirius was engulfed by the magical green flames, my eyes wide and my fingers twisting anxiously. This would be my second interaction with something completely magical and all honestly I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. What if I ended up somewhere random like Harry did? What would I do then? Lost in the magically world, more lost than I already am anyway, I laughed slightly at the absurdity of it. When the green flames were gone I looked behind me to see that Dumbledore was watching me with a slightly anxious but expectant expression on his face, interest plain in his twinkling blue eyes. I wondered what he was thinking. Did he think I would be able to do it? I smiled at him nervously and then turned back towards the fireplace and walked forwards. I slowly put my hand into the floo powder, taking a pinch I scattered it into the fireplace as I had just watched Sirius do and stepped in.

It felt as though I had just put my feet into a warm bath and was thankful that the fireplace wasn't overly ashy as I opened my mouth to shout "The Hog's Head!" as clearly as I could.

I wasn't prepared for what happened next, it felt as though I was being sucked through a tight tube and was spinning really fast with a deafening roar in my ears, I remembered the way that the green flames and the spinning made Harry feel sick in the book so I quickly closed my eyes and tucked in my elbows willing it to be over as fast as possible. I was about to open my eyes again when I felt myself stop and then fall forward, before I my body could catch up with the sudden lurch a pair of strong arms caught me before I hit the ground and I opened my eyes to look up dizzily and see Sirius standing above me with a dazzling grin on his charming face.

"We have got to stop meeting like this." He told me in husky voice, his amused eyes boring into mine. I went to retort but he quickly pulled me to my feet and started dusting me off.

"I never want to do that again." I told him in a shaky voice (I wasn't sure if it was from the spinning or looking into Sirius Blacks story eyes again but I felt slightly dizzy) turning to look at him again as we waited for Dumbledore arrive.

"Ah, don't be a killjoy!" He said cheerfully. "You just wait till we apparate!" I groaned and he laughed at the expression on my face. I ignored him and decided to look around the pub instead.

Harry's description of this place was defiantly not wrong I thought as I looked around the dank and dirty room. It was dark and damp with a cushioned floor of dirt and I almost started laughing when I recognised the strong smell of goats. There were two, what I assumed to be goblins sitting in the corner with smoking drinks in front of them and a man sat in another with a dark cloak pulled over his head and a green drink in his hand. My mouth hung open as I looked at the man behind the bar, he certainly did look like Dumbledore, I wondered how Harry had never realised it.

"Aberforth." I whispered under my breath looking at him and Sirius nodded at me slightly, so I knew I was defiantly right. "This is bizarre." I told him with laughter in my voice.

He was about to reply when once again green flames erupted in the small fireplace of the bar and Dumbledore stepped out his long, purple majestic robes covered in dust but otherwise exactly the same as the last time I saw him in his office.

"Well that was fun. Ahh, Melody you made it! Wonderful, wonderful." He said smiling at me and I had the urge to laugh, again.

"Right, well we won't dally around all day." He said before striding towards the door, ignoring the astonished and yet angry look of his brother at the bar.

Sirius and I followed him quickly out of the door and into the streets of Hogsmeade village. Dumbledore briskly turned away from the main village, that I had just had a glimpse of and started striding along the lane going the other way towards the woodland that littered the end of the path.

"You'll want to come this way, children!" He called over his shoulder and Sirius and I looked at each other wide eyed and laughing before jogging to keep up with him.

I was upset that I didn't get to see all of Hogsmeade village but quickly told myself that it would be alright, I'm stuck here anyway I thought albeit a little bitterly. Dumbledore came to a stop at the end of the road and turned to face us again, appraising our school robes.

"Ah, maybe we should get you two some cloaks." We nodded and he drew his wand, conjuring two fine, bottle green cloaks with golden clasps.

"There we go" he said handing to us and we put them on quickly pulling the hoods over our heads.

"Right, Miss Holon, you have the choice between me and Mr Black to side-along apparate with you. Which would you prefer?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

"Sirius." I said immediately and then blushed.

I didn't understand how I could automatically trust Sirius but there was just something about him, an air of confidence that he gave off and I knew that I could. I knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to me. I turned to the side and grinned at him shyly which he returned and held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Madam." He said, tipping his head to the side slightly. Dumbledore and I chuckled and his antics and I took his arm, wrapping mine around his and intertwined our fingers.

"Now, I'm really not looking forward to this." I told them both and they replied by laughing mischievously.

"Miss Holon, I will have you know that it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience." Sirius said, with laughter in his voice. "Hold on tight now."

Sirius' grip on my arm tightened and everything went black.

Sirius POV

Apparating has never been an exactly enjoyable experience for me. I almost failed my apparition test, I defiantly preferred flying, but knowing that it was Melody's first experience sort of excited me and as her hand tightened around mine and I watched as her eyes snapped shut I realised that it could be quite enjoyable. You never really got over the sensation of the feeling of being sucked through a tight tube but Melody's reaction was priceless. When we landed in the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron she fell straight to the ground before I could catch and started chocking.

"That was even worse than flooing!" She chocked out between heavy, heaving breaths. I started to laugh uncontrollably at her reaction as I helped her to her feet. Her face was pale, with a slight sheen of sweat littering her forehead. The hood of her cloak had fallen down and a few people sitting in the bar watching the exchange gasped as they saw her beautiful face, her long black hair cascaded down her back and her pale face and dark eyes stood out more prominently than ever before. I glared around at a few of the men sitting at the bar and they had the decency to look slightly abashed before turning away from her.

There was a loud crack and Dumbledore appeared next to us and smiled at the room in general and then turned to Melody and quietly chuckled at her pale demeanour.

"It'll get better." He whispered to her and then started forward, taking a seat at the bar.

"The usual, Albus?" Tom the barman asked.

"Yes please Tom." He replied before turning back to Melody and me. "Now come on, pip pip. And here." He held out a pouch of gold in his hand. "You need to get a wand, cauldron, books and maybe some new robes?" he said, eyes twinkling slightly as he looked at Melody. We both nodded and left the room, heading to the back door. We walked out of the door and to the back wall and I tapped on the bricks with my wand and waited for the wall to open.

Melody gasped beside me as Diagon Alley came into view. "It's... it's..." she faltered but I understood what she meant.

The magnificence of Diagon Alley had faltered since I was a child. There were no brightly coloured displays in the windows of shops and it wasn't bustling with people like it should be. There were boarded up windows and wanted posters, the few people that did litter the streets hung together in packs and nobody was alone.

"I didn't realise how bad it would be in this time." She whispered her eyes full of tears. "In Harry's time it starts off bright and bustling but then turns more sinister. I knew it was bad in your time but not this bad." She said her eyes roaming the dilapidated street. I nodded and took her hand before stepping into the street.

"Put your hood back up." I whispered to her. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves." She nodded slightly with a frightened expression on her beautiful face. "We'll go to Ollivanders first." She nodded again staring around with wide eyed fascination.

We walked over to the shop and I opened the door quickly, a twinkling bell ringing quietly somewhere deep in the shop, the tingle of magic vibrated in the air as Mr Ollivander came forward with his pale, orb-like eyes shining widely through the darkness. Melody stiffened by my side and I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Good afternoon Mr Ollivander." I greeted him politely. He smiled at me slightly and then looked at Melody, his wide eyes darkening slightly and becoming increasingly more interested.

"Ah Mr Black, good afternoon. And who is this delightful young lady?" he asked looking over Melody once again.

"This is Melody Holon, Mr Ollivander. She's a new student at Hogwarts. She needs a wand." Mr Ollivander nodded slightly and I could see his eyes narrow, Hogwarts didn't usually have new students in their seventh years.

"And what was your wand before this Miss Holon?" he asked Melody and I felt her stiffen again, her breath faltering.

"I... erm... I."

"Well the truth is Mr Ollivander, Melody hasn't had a wand before. Her parent's home schooled her but they didn't do practical work, just theory because of the trace." I was surprised by how quickly the lie came out of my mouth and apparently so was Melody as she looked at me with wide eyes, though Ollivander didn't question what was said.

He came closer to us and took Melody's hand from mine, the feeling of her hand away from mine made me feel slightly colder but I knew that she would be alright. I quickly looked outside the shop window whilst Ollivander took Melody's measurements and did a scan of the outside of the shop. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so I turned back around and watched as the magical tape measure took the measurements from in between Melody's nostrils, her face was extremely affronted and my amusement mounted. Mr Ollivander left the tape measure to its work and disappeared into the shop once more, returning moments later with four or five long, thin boxes containing wands.

"Ah, here we go then. Beachwood and phoenix feather, 12 inches. Nice and bendy." Melody took the wand from it, gave me an amused look and waved it. When nothing happened she looked highly disgruntled but I smiled at her encouragingly.

"No, that's not right for you." Mr Ollivander said, taking the wand and handing her another.

"Beech and dragon heartstring, 7 inches, whippy."

She took this wand and waved it, nothing happened again and I could see both her and Mr Ollivander frowning slightly.

"Hmm... difficult customer, eh? Let's try this one. Cherry and unicorn hair, 10 inches, flexible."

Melody took this wand in her hand and smiled slightly as she fingered it. She lifted the wand above her head and gave it a swish and a spurt of yellow and pink flowers flowed out of the end and onto the floor.

"Well done! Well done! It seems you have a natural affinity for magic my dear." He told her knowingly. She turned and smiled widely at me, power seem to radiate off her, her smile more beautiful and brighter than ever.

Melody POV

Sirius and I left Ollivanders quickly and went quickly through the next few shops, not looking around, only getting what we needed and not stopping to talk to anyone else. I was really pleased with myself when I got my wand. I couldn't believe that I could actually have one. What were the chances of that? I mean, I have now accepted the fact that I am stuck here but I really didn't think that I could be a witch. If this world was real then why didn't I go to Hogwarts when I was in my own world? I was really upset to see the dilapidated state of Diagon Alley, I expected as much but I didn't realise how bad it would be. It sort of looked like the way it was described in the sixth book, without the colour from the Weasley twins joke shop. The people in the alley kept their heads down as we walked past and I was happy for that, I didn't want to look at people and recognise them from the descriptions in the books. Sirius was a gracious tour guide. He didn't take my hand again, but he stuck fast to my side, I was never two feet in front of him and if someone got particularly close to us then he would take my arm and steered me away from them slightly.

"Shall we go into Flourish and Blots to get your books?" Sirius asked me quietly. I nodded and smiled at him. A book store! Even though it was still in the magical world, it still allowed me some sort of comfort and normality. I loved books. Even as a child I would read and read until I had been awake for days because I loved to learn and I felt there was nothing better than a book to put you in a good mood. I quickly grabbed Sirius hand again and he laugh slightly as he saw the new enthusiasm on my face, I guessed he was remembering it was the same look that I had given him this morning when we went into to the great hall.

"I can get really preoccupied in book stores." I warned Sirius. He grinned at me slyly.

"Oh no! Not another bookworm." He put a look of pretend horror on his face. "You and Lily will be best friends by the end of the week." He winked and I laughed as we quickly walked into the book store.

It was amazing. There were stacks upon stacks of books littering the floors and walls. The book cases were crammed with numerous different titles and there was a ladder that people could climb up to get to the topmost books on the highest shelf.

"This is... wow. Will there ever come a time when this world doesn't baffle me?" I asked Sirius. He chuckled at me and shook his head slightly. I was about to walk forward when the door behind us opened again. I turned and was shocked to see the heavily lidded face of the person now standing behind me. Impossible, I thought before panic could set in as I took in the dark, heavy hair and eyes.

"And what are you looking at?" Bellatrix Lestrange asked me in a cold, hard voice. Her dark eyes widening nastily, her nostril flaring and her eyebrows rising. Sirius quickly spun around when he heard her voice and his face paled. He stood in front of me slightly, pushing me behind him as if to hide me.

"Well well well. If it isn't my blood traitor cousin!" she exclaimed loudly, the owner of the shop looked up and his face paled when he saw that it was she whom had entered his store and quickly scurried into the backroom.

"Bella." Sirius recognised coldly before taking a slightly more visible step in front of me and slowly putting a hand into his cloak, something that was not missed by Bellatrix either.

"What are you doing her dear cousin?" she asked Sirius coldly whilst trying to gaze behind him to look at me, interest alight in her eyes. "Surely you should not be out of school in these _dangerous _times. Shouldn't you be sucking up to that blood traitor friend of yours, Potter, like you usually are?" she taunted.

Sirius stepped forward again but I grabbed his arm. Bellatrix smirked at him, her gaze moving to me again.

"And _who _is _this_?" she asked indignantly. "I don't believe I have seen her before."

Neither Sirius nor I answered and her eyes narrowed, understanding clouding her brow as she realised there must be a reason for us not telling her who I was.

"Well" she started, with a visible twitch to her left forearm. "I cannot stand around and idly chat all day. I suggest you get back to school where you belong blood traitor." She told Sirius with a hint of malice and threat in her voice before turning around and leaving the shop. Both Sirius and I sighed in relief.

"She doesn't seem as insane as she is in the books." I told him quietly. "Though she is visibly terrifying, I suppose her time in Azkaban completely unhinged her."

"You have no idea." Sirius muttered and I looked at him confused so he continued. "When I lived at home she used to come over every Christmas and she was awful. My parents and brother doted on her obviously; she is such a good little pure blood death eater." He said angrily and I put a hand on his shoulder to calm him slightly. He smiled, quite falsely, and turned us back into the store.

"However, she is right. We should hurry this up and get back to school."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten 

Sirius POV

After our interaction with Bellatrix I thought it best that we get out of Diagon Alley as soon as possible. I didn't miss the threat in her voice when she told me I should get back to school and apparently neither did Melody as she didn't argue. I was keen to avoid Bellatrix, especially when one considers that she is responsible for one's own death in the future. I could believe that of her, we had never been close, even when we were children she was evil. She and the rest of my family put too much stock in the whole 'pure blood mania' that Voldemort spread around like a dirty, dark plague. Everything about Bellatrix poured evil into the world, from the way that she would look at someone and even in the haughty way that she held herself up. She was twisted and evil and I wanted myself and Melody out of her way, it wouldn't take much for her to double back and attack us if she felt like it, she had wanted to get at me more and more over the years. Being sorted into Gryffindor was just the tip of the iceberg of things that I had done wrong in hers and my family's eyes.

Melody and I quickly got everything else we needed and went back to meet Professor Dumbledore in the Leaky Cauldron. Concern was evident in his eyes when we showed up, looking over our shoulders with a nervous air and I quickly explained to him the interaction with Bellatrix. Sensing danger he quickly nodded, took our arms and apparated us to the gates of Hogwarts not giving any explanation, just mere anger and concern in his eyes. It was quite frightening but I wasn't about to question it. We quickly went through the gates and the front doors of the castle. Melody and I took the stairs and started on our way to Gryffindor tower and Dumbledore continued towards the Great Hall (dinner was in progress). I wasn't keen to see anyone on our way so I showed Melody the quickest way to get to the tower, even though she was staring around in wonder as the staircases moved above her head and the portraits flitted between frames talking to each other. The pure wonderment on her face was beautiful and if I wasn't so tense I would have taken the longer route with her.

Due to my brisk pace Melody and I made it to Gryffindor tower in record time and I said the password to the Fat Lady portrait, 'Merlin', and we crawled through the hole quickly.

"Wow." I heard Melody utter for the second time today as she discovered something else in this world. I could see what she meant, even though I was used to the beauty and comfort of the Gryffindor common room, sometimes it still took your breath away. The comfy chairs by the fire were occupied by my friends and we quickly walked over to them, our hands full of bags, younger students looking at us with wonder and some with eagerness, as though expecting a party. The Marauders and Lily didn't notice our entrance and continued to talk quietly with each other.

'...don't know anything about her, she could be dangerous. Why would she want to leave Pete out?' I heard James ask in a low, anxious voice.

'I don't know Jamie,' Lily replied, also looking anxious, but her beautiful face also held compassion, I knew that she wouldn't judge Melody before getting to know her.

'Yeah... but just say-'

I coughed loudly as we approached their chairs and James stopped talking immediately and looked around. I saw guilt flash through his eyes but it disappeared and his strong jaw jutted out defiantly and anger flashed through his eyes when he saw that I was with Melody again.

'Where have you been Padfoot?' He demanded angrily. 'You've missed all your afternoon lessons... what are all those bags for, I thought we weren't having a party tonight?'

'We aren't James.' I said, defiantly using his name, instead of nickname, to express my anger with him, it wasn't like Prongs to judge people before he knew them. 'We went to Diagon Alley.'

All of their eyes widened in shock and Melody looked down a little sheepishly.

'Melody needed a wand, books and clothes. She lost everything the night her parents died.' I lied easily, though it felt wrong doing it. I saw a flash of confusion and intuition in Lily's eyes as she looked between us and at our bags but she didn't say anything about it.

'That's good.' Remus said, smiling warmly. I was glad to see that he too was keeping his mind open, unlike my so called best friend.

'What is your wand?' Peter squeaked at Melody, shyly. We both turned to him and I felt myself stiffen when looking into his watery eyes. This was the little rat that was going to betray Lily and James, lead Voldemort to them, letting him kill them. Peter quelled slightly under my penetrating gaze and I looked away as Melody cleared her through.

'Cherry and unicorn hair, ten inches.' She told him, a little coolly but only I noticed.

'Sweet.' Pete squeaked looking away again.

'Would you like me to show you to the dorms Melody?' Lily asked kindly. I knew there was a reason a liked her. I smiled encouragingly at Melody and she nodded to Lily. 'I imagine you're tired. I'll show you where to put your stuff and you can show and get settled?' Melody smiled at Lily sweetly and nodded again.

Lily stood and gestured for Melody to follow her, I watched as they went up the stairs to the girl's dormitories and then sat down in the chair that Lily had just vacated. I turned to look at James, who was glaring at me.

'What is your problem Prongs?' I demanded and he looked down, trying to control the anger in his eyes. Remus and Peter shifted uncomfortably.

'She is. What do you know about her Padfoot?' He asked angrily, but keeping his voice low.

'A lot more than you think.' I hissed.

'And what does that mean? You met her about sixteen hours ago! She could be a bloody Death Eater for all you know and you're just inviting her to spend time with us!'

'She isn't a Death Eater! Trust me on this, she'll explain tomorrow.' I told him, trying to keep calm. I shouldn't be angry, I thought she was a Death Eater at first as well.

'You can't know that! She was speaking to Snape for crying out loud, she invited him to meet with us and not Pete! What the hell is that about? Who is she to say that Wormtail can't be trusted?'

'Someone with knowledge, Peter can't be trusted.' I said acidly before I could stop himself. There was a ringing silence that followed my words. I heard Peter squeak after a moment and spared him a glance, the watery-eyed boy looked hurt by my proclamation, but also a little guilty, or so I thought. I turned to look at James and Remus next and they were both looking at me in plain shock and anger.

'That's out of line, Padfoot.' Remus said solemnly.

'What the hell do you mean Sirius?' James demanded, his tone rising as he finally lost it. 'Peter is one of us! We can trust him like we trust each other. Is this what that Melody girl has been telling you? Because it's wrong Sirius! Stop being hoodwinked by a pretty face!'

I stood up angrily as James did the same, Remus and Peter looked shocked as we came face to face.

'That is what you think this is?' I spat at James, practically emanating anger. 'You think I see her as just a pretty face? You have no idea what you're talking about James.'

'I know you Sirius. I know what you're like when it comes to good looking girls. She's pretty, but is it worth throwing away friendship when you barely know her?' He asked in a quietly calm voice.

'Like I said James, I know her better than you think I do. You will too after tomorrow, just hear her out, that's all that I'm asking.' I told him with sincerity, calming down slightly.

He nodded but still looked angry. I gave him a cocky grin and mock punched him on the arm.

'That's the spirit Kid, and if that's all... I'm going to bed. I'm shattered!' And with that I left my three dumbfounded friends, shock resounding in my wake.

Melody POV

I followed behind Lily quietly as she showed me the path to the dormitory that I was now condemned to stay in for the year. Her long red hair was swishing from side to side as she walked and I couldn't help but think about how beautiful it was. She didn't talk as we walked, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, she was just letting me get my bearings. I knew that she had asked whether I wanted to know where I was sleeping because she, like me, could tell that something was brewing up between James and Sirius. I didn't want to be in the middle of that, especially if they were going to be arguing about me. I didn't want to cause a rift between two best friends. I followed Lily up the steep stair case, past doors until we finally came to the top and walked down a corridor with just two doors on. She led me to the end of the corridor and opened the door.

We walked inside the small dormitory and I was pleased to see something that didn't shock me in this strange new world. It was quaint, with just five beds in the room. The bedding was a dark red colour and the curtain hangings on the four poster beds were a deep gold. There was a door to the right, which I assumed led to a bathroom and there were five wardrobes and five sets of draws on either side of the beds.

'You can pick out of these two.' She told me kindly, pointing to the one closet to the second door and the one on the other side of the entrance. 'Like Sirius said earlier, it is just me and Emmeline Vance in this dorm now, she isn't here a lot though and she generally keeps to herself. My best friend Mary used to bunk with us too, along with the Alice Prewett and Marlene Mckinnon, but they were a year above us. There are three other Gryffindor girls, Mandy Vane (who you met earlier), Patricia Almahn and Daisy Cator, they share the room just down the hall with two girls from the year below us.' She told me and I nodded and smiled at her. 'They offered to share with me this year but, eurgh, I can't take their giggling and gossiping and I didn't want to leave Emmeline,'

'This one is my bed,' she said pointing to the one that was closest to the wall with a window on it, I hadn't noticed the window before, but now saw that it was adorned with red curtains that matched the bed spreads.

'Must be hard being in here alone most of the time, huh?' I asked Lily conversationally walking forward and dumping the heavy packages I was occupied with on the bed closest to the second door.

'It's not too bad.' She told me, but her voice contradicted her words. 'It can be a little lonely, but I get a lot of work done. Most of the time I'm with James and his friends though and they keep me occupied enough.' She gave a gentle laugh. 'And now I have you!' She said cheerily.

'Yeah, you do. I really hope we can be friends Lily.' I told her sincerely.

'Me too. I'm sorry about James. He's a little protective of his friends, Sirius in particular.'

'Oh, it's fine, really.' I told her, smiling and sitting down on the bed that I had just chosen. 'In times like these I understand that it must be hard to trust people.'

She nodded and sat down on her own bed, looking at me and I could see a question burning in her eyes.

'What is it?' I asked and she chuckled.

'You're perspective,' she acknowledged and then sighed. 'I was just wondering why you were talking to Sev...Snape earlier?' She asked me in a quiet voice and I could hear the hurt in her voice.

'I need him to understand something, like I need you to. I know what he did Lily.'

She looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing. 'Sirius told you?' She asked shocked and I shook my head.

'No, I just know.' I told her mysteriously. She pursed her lips. 'You'll understand tomorrow Lily. If it means anything, I'm sure that he is sorry honey.' She frowned at me and I nodded sincerely. 'You'll understand.' I repeated again and turned away from her to look at the second door, which I assumed lead to the bathroom.

'Is that the bathroom?' I asked.

'Yes, there are two showers, a bath tub, two sinks and two toilet stalls in there. It isn't much considering that there are usually five to a dorm, but as it's just the three of us it will be fine and we'll have nothing to fight over.' I nodded and stood up again.

'I'm going to unpack my things and have a shower,' I told her. 'Are you staying in here now or going back to James?'

'I'll stay with you and help you unpack, if you like?'

I nodded eagerly. 'That'll be great! Thank you Lily!'

She laughed at my enthusiasm as she got up of her own bed and walked over to all the packages that littered mine.

'You got the full works?' I nodded and she smiled.

'Some of the seventh year books are really interesting.' She told me and I frowned. 'What's the matter?' Lily asked in concern when she noticed.

'I'm just... a little further behind than everyone else.' I mumbled.

Lily put her hand on my arm in a comforting gesture. 'Don't worry, we can help you catch up.' She said kindly.

'I don't think it'll be that easy,' I said, albeit a little bitterly, she gave me a questioning look but chose not to ask.

'Is this everything you have?' She gestured to the packages on the bed.

I nodded sadly. 'Yes. Professor Dumbledore is going to order me some more things though... so that I can be comfortable here.'

Lily nodded in sincerity and picked up a few of the packages, unwrapping them and then putting them away. We did this in silence for a while and we were both content with it.

'So how long have you and James been together?' I asked, whilst putting some clothes into the wardrobe closest to my bed.

'Just since September.'

I smiled at her answer and then realised something.

'What date is it?' I asked her and she turned and looked at me confused.

'Er, October 26th.' Good, I thought, it's the same date as 2012.

'Oh, thanks. My days got really confused, that's all.' She nodded understandingly and moved back towards the bed to get the last of the packages and put them away.

'What changed your mind on him?' I asked interestedly and she looked at me shocked, before frowning and shaking her head. I always wondered how she could have gone from despising someone to loving them and marrying them. She smiled slightly at me, perking her head up, the small smile held some sort of secret, a lover's secret.

'I never really hated him.' She confessed. 'I assume you know what he did to Severus?' I nodded. 'Well I hated it. I hated the way he would show off and curse my best friend as though to get back at me for not dating him or trying to impress me, whatever. I never really understood it. I know that they all hated each other and I hated being stuck in the middle of it. On one hand I had James, who on occasion was really sweet and considerate, and then other times a bully and an arrogant berk. And then on the other I had Severus, my best friend since childhood, kind and sweet to me but up to his eyeballs in the dark arts and poisoning my mind against the Marauders whenever he thought that I was getting too close to them,'

I nodded in understanding and watched as her face changed, her eyes narrowing as she remembered those times.

'I know that Severus was in love with me,' she whispered, as though admitting to something shameful. 'And I can't say that I didn't use that sometimes to get him to lay off James and his friends. I thought if Severus loved me, then he would choose me over his friends, who I considered to be a bad influence, but he didn't. He chose them over me and that was unforgivable. I blew up at James one day and as I was doing it, I saw pain flash through his eyes, it almost stopped me in my tracks, but before I could register it, he had covered it up and started being _James _again. I realised as I ran off that day that I was in love with him. I realised that all the times I said no to him asking me out, wasn't for me, it was for Severus. I didn't want to hurt him.'

'But..' I started, confusion setting in. 'Wasn't that in your fifth year?' her eyes widened and she nodded, not questioning me. 'So why did you only start dating a month ago?' I asked, confused.

'Ahh, well you see. I really hurt James with what I said. We didn't speak for the rest of our fifth year, although I wanted to apologise, he avoided me as much as he could, and I let him. I didn't want to face him, knowing that I loved him. I thought he would see straight through me. I wrote to him a few times over the summer and apologised though, proposing that we be friends and he agreed. When we went back to school in our sixth year, my best friend Mary wasn't on the train.' Lily stopped here and sniffed. 'She hadn't written to me for a few weeks and I was a little worried about her. When I got on the train I searched but couldn't find her. I came upon James and Sirius' apartment and they were talking quietly with Remus and Peter, they had devastated expressions on their faces as they talked and I knocked on the compartment...' she stopped again and I could see that she was stealing herself for what she had to say next, she put the last of the books away and slumped down on my new bed with tears in her eyes. I sat next to her, but didn't touch her.

'They looked up and when they saw it was me and their faces, as if they didn't look bad enough, dropped even more. I asked if they knew where Mary was and Remus stood up, tears in his eyes and put his arm around me, steering me towards a vacant seat. I was confused, but complied. James looked up at me and I demanded to know what was going on. He told me...he told me that there had been a Death Eater attack in a muggle village a few weeks ago, it was the village where Mary lived. They took her, he told me and no one had seen or heard from her in weeks.'

Lily's vibrant eyes started to shed tears and I shifted over to where she sat and put my arm around her shoulders, feeling awful for making her revisit this.

'Well, I broke down completely of course. I was horrified that I knew nothing about it, but James just took me in his arms and held me contently whilst I sobbed. We became friends after that, and I was content with that. After losing Mary I wasn't really in a rush to get in a relationship, especially with James, though I loved him, I wanted to make sure that he loved me before that happened. We grew closer and closer the whole year and at the end of it, I admitted my feelings for him as he did for me. We decided to part for the summer single, to make sure that we were certain about what we wanted.' She smiled now and I was pleased to see that she was happier. 'We wrote to each other the whole summer and as soon as we met on the school train we kissed and decided that all we wanted was each other.'

I smiled widely at her. I've got to say that I was a little shocked at how the two together, but it seemed to make sense.

'That's wonderful Lily. I am sorry about Mary.' I told her sincerely. 'Did they ever find her?' She shook her head, no. 'That's awful' she nodded and a few more tears escaped.

'Thank you for telling me. Although I barely know you, I can already see how in love you and James are, it's quite refreshing.' She smiled and nodded. 'I really hope we can be friends Lily.'

'Me too, Melody.' She said with a great deal of happiness in her voice before hugging me again.

Sirius POV

I went up to my dorm quietly ignoring the curious looks that I got off the few people in the common room. I had a lot on my mind and wasn't really in the mood to stop and answer awkward question. I quickly bounded to the top of the stairs and opened the first door on the top hallway and walked into the dormitory that I had shared with my three best friends for the last six years. The dorm was small, containing only four beds. Each of our beds had our Marauder nickname on the wall in large letters and I laughed remembering the time when we wrote them. I walked over to the four poster bed labelled 'Padfoot' and sat down on the red duvet set, putting my head in my hands.

I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. So much had happened in the twenty four hours and I wasn't sure what to do about it. A few tears started to form in my eyes and a lump grew in m y throat. I couldn't believe that only yesterday I was worrying about dreams containing a mysterious girl and now she was here. I couldn't believe that only yesterday I had three best friends who I could trust beyond doubt and now one that I had learnt would betray us all. I couldn't believe that it was only yesterday when I still thought I had a bright future to look forward to. I knew it would be hard, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be, what with the war breaking out around us, but I thought we would survive. The young – utterly invincible. How wrong was I?

I sighed, stood up and started taking off my school robes. Today had been so hard, I thought again walking to the boys bathroom with just my school trousers on. I looked into the mirror that adorned the walls and wasn't surprised to see the bags under my eyes. I was so tired, I couldn't wait to sleep. Looking into my reflection I was shocked that I looked the same. After today I thought _everything _had changed, but no. Same grey eyes, same long black hair, same chiselled chin and chest. But I could see a frown line forming between my heavy eyebrows, I could see wisdom and fear in my eyes. I doubted anything would be the same again.

I turned my back on my reflection and started towards the shower stall, stripping my remaining clothes off as I went.

Melody POV

It was just an hour after my shower that I was in the comfortable looking bed that I had picked out earlier. Lily had left to go and speak with James and Emmeline, who I had yet to meet, hadn't come back to the dorm yet. I sighed back into the puffy pillow, closing my eyes I quickly fell into a deep sleep, the dormitory darkening around me.

_I was stood in a dark, cold room that I didn't recognise. There was little light coming from a small candle wick and there was just one person in the room. They were stood in a long cloak, the hood up, with their back to me. There was a chilling atmosphere in the air and I didn't dare speak to the figure. I could hear my breath coming out in loud gasps but the figure didn't turn and I had the strange feeling that they didn't know I was there. I was about to ask the figure where I was when a door, that I hadn't noticed before, opened and a woman entered the room, her wand held out in front of her, the tip lit with white light. _

'_My lord...' she whispered fearfully, and I recognised the cold voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, that I had heard earlier in that day. '...my lord, if I may interrupt...' she followed quietly. _

_The figured moved slightly and I saw as it lifted its arms and then pulled the hood back from its head. I held in my scream as I saw the back of a head, a pale white head that seemed to emanate light because of its pearly colour._

'_What is it Bella?' the figure asked, in a high, cold voice, that seemed to have a slight hiss to it. _

'_My lord... you told me to go to Diagon Alley today and look around, to see if there was anything suspicious...' she stopped here and I saw the figure nod. 'I met my disowned cousin there, the blood traitor Sirius Black, you are familiar with that story.' _

'_Of course,' he hissed, with a slight malice to his voice. 'He is such a disappointment to such a noble and loyal family. A pity, such a talented boy...' Bellatrix nodded. 'But what was he doing out of school Bella? He is in his final year, is he not?'_

'_He is my lord.' Bellatrix panted. 'I asked him that and he did not answer me, but what was peculiar was that he wasn't there alone. He was with a girl my lord. She was a pretty little thing, dark hair, pale skin and brown eyes. But I have never seen her before my lord.' She told him quietly. _

'_Never seen her before?' he asked quietly. 'But how is that possible?'_

'_I do not know my lord, do you recognise the description? She asked, breathless again with tension. _

'_Beautiful and pale, with dark hair? I do not Bella, the only wizarding family with those characteristics are your own. She could be a mudblood I suppose. Did you not ask for her name?' he hissed lowly. _

'_I did my lord but they would not give it to me, I thought this odd.' _

'_Yes, yes it is.' He said, but not really sounding too interested. _

'_They were wearing cloaks that covered Hogwarts uniforms and they had a lot of packages with them my Lord, as though they had been buying school supplies for the girl.' _

_The white head shot up and I could tell from the back of him that he was looking into Bellatrix's eyes. Her own widened, but she looked pleased that he was now looking at her. _

'_Interesting...' he hissed. 'I want you to keep an eye on the situation Bella, I doubt the girl is important but I always like to know what is going on at Hogwarts. Get one our seventh year Slytherins to look into it.' he told her and she nodded her head and then bowed lowly in front of the figure. _

'_Yes my lord, right away my lord.' She murmured into his feet before leaving the room. _

_I stood in fear, watching the figure, aware that we were alone again now. I held my breath as he slowly started to turn and a scream got lodged into my throat when he looked at me full on. He smiled cruelly and then I screamed as I looked into the blood red, slit eyes, of Lord Voldemort. _

I woke up sweating, screaming and thrashing in my bed.

'Melody... Melody calm down.' I heard a voice say anxiously. But I couldn't comprehend what the voice was saying. I was terrified. Where was I? This wasn't my room. And continued to scream and whimper, thrashing around in the covers of the bed and didn't hear as a set of feet scurried out of the room. I tried to sit up but the cover was tangled around my legs. Someone was pulling on it and I looked around to see a tall, brown haired girl pulling the covers from my legs and looking at me in fright.

I tried to calm down but when I closed my eyes I saw those cold red eyes again. I started breathing slowly through my mouth, the events of the last day coming back to me. I was still slightly whimpering, but not thrashing around anymore, tears were rolling down my face.

I heard shouting from outside of the dorm and three sets of feet scurrying up the stairs. I opened my eyes as Lily entered. Her red hair was tied into a messy bun, she had a pink dressing gown on and her eyes wide with fear. Behind her was Sirius, he just had pyjama pants on, his chest bare and he quickly pushed past Lily and ran over to my bed, grabbing me in his arms and shook me slightly. Behind Sirius was James, he looked slightly unnerved and still mistrustful but also concerned as he held on to Lily, who still looked terrified.

'What is it Melody?' Sirius asked frantically, shaking me slightly.

'She was whimpering in her sleep Sirius and then started screaming and thrashing around... I didn't know what to do.' Lily whimpered, holding on to James' arms.

'Melody?' Sirius asked, tugging lightly on my chin to get me to look at him.

'He knows..' I whispered.

'Who knows what?' he asked anxiously.

'He know, _he knows, _that I am here! Voldemort!'

I heard someone's intake of breath behind Sirius but ignored it, choosing to look into his grey stormy eyes instead, which were wide with fear.

'But how?' he asked finally, tearing his gaze from mine and pulling me into his arms.

'Bellatrix... she told him about me and now he wants her to find out whom I am... what if they find out Sirius... he'll kill me!' I whimpered into his arm.

'I won't let him.' He vowed and I looked up into his eyes again. 'How do you know this?' he asked quietly, trying to not let James, Lily or the girl hear.

'I saw it... I dreamt it...' I whispered. I could hear James and Lily and the girl with brown hair, who I assumed was Emmeline, whispering frantically to the side of us, clearly confused.

'But then... but then it might have just been a dream!' Sirius told me hopefully, though it didn't reach his eyes and I knew he was thinking along the same lines as I was.

'It wasn't, I know he knows that I'm here. They were just like Harry's dreams.' I told him.

'Who's Harry?' James asked, coming in front of me now, concern and fear on his face. I could tell that he didn't like what we were talking about.

'I'll tell you tomorrow,' I murmured, ignoring his question. 'What should we do Sirius?' I directed to the long haired boy who was still holding me tightly.

'Nothing for now... we'll go to Dumbledore tomorrow... we should all get back to bed now...'

I shook my head frantically. 'I can't sleep now.' I whimpered, looking around at the people in the room who were still alert and frightened.

'You've only had about five hours sleep Melody.' Sirius murmured into my hair. 'You're exhausted, especially with everything that has happened...' he trailed off.

'Can't you stay with me?' I asked him hopefully, I trusted him above all others in this world and I didn't want to be alone right now.

'Erm...' he said, looking a little embarrassed.

'Not like that Sirius.' I murmured, blushing. 'I just need you right now, I need a friend.' I told him with sincerity.

'Ok, you can come back to my dorm. You'll be ok.' He told me and giving me a hug. 'I'll protect you.' He murmured in my ear so that no one else could hear and stood up, looking at his best friend.

'That's alright, isn't it Prongs?' he asked, a little forcefully.

James looked between me and Sirius for a moment, emotions ranging from fear to confusion, flashing across his handsome facial features. His warm, hazel eyes finally settled on my wide, frightened ones and I saw compassion and oddly, trust, flash through his eyes and he nodded.

'Of course.' He said simply.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello lovely readers! I'm so sorry this update took so long, but I've started another story as some of you might have noticed, if not check it out! ;) I know I promised that she would tell them in this chapter but it would just have made it too long and I really wanted to get some light drama in here before the big reveal! I hope that you like what I've done with the dream, and don't worry Melody is like the next Harry, she isn't seeing into Voldy's mind, there is a different reason for this which will be revealed later on. I hope you like the little bit of back story development that I did with Lily and James' story, I thought it needed to be brought in somewhere as they are going to be a big part in this story, obviously.<strong>

**I promise that it will be the revealing of Melody's identity in the next chapter, I haven't decided how to do it yet but I'm going to try and make it as realistic as I can. Please, please, please review! and check out the other story if you're interested!**

**Forevertruex**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven 

Sirius POV

Sun leaked through the crack in the curtains of the seventh year boy's dormitories and I pulled the duvet over my head as if to block it out when I felt something stir next to me. I opened my eyes a fraction of an inch and let out a gasp when I saw a head of long, jet black hair on the pillow next to me and a small frame trembling and stirring from its sleep underneath my arm that was wrapped around tightly around the waist. I recognised the hair as Melody's and as I did the last day and night came flooding back to me. Melody's arrival, Melody's story, half a day in school, going to Diagon Alley, coming back and then finally Melody's nightmare. I closed my eyes again and pulled myself closer to the stirring girl unconsciously, smelling her sweet scent, it was a mixture of heaven and hell.

'Morning' I whispered in her ear and I felt her jump slightly.

She turned around slowly, her eyes wide with alarm until she recognised me and her dark eyes were once again filled with the trust I had already come to love and be less surprised by.

'Good morning.' She whispered with a sweet smile.

'How are you feeling?' I asked.

'Better. I'm sorry about last night,' she answered in a shy and hushed voice.

'Don't worry about it, love.' I told her, taking my arm from around her waist and carefully placing it on her face in a comforting gesture. 'It's been a long twenty four hours, with a lot to take in.' She nodded and smiled at me. 'Do you want to tell Dumbledore about the dream?

She shook her head frantically, her expression slightly alarmed again. She lifted her hand and took mine from her face but interlacing our fingers. My breath caught in my throat as she leaned in a little closer to me.

'No,' she said in a low voice, her face just inches from mine. 'If I have another dream we will. It could have been a coincidence though,' her face and tone of voice clearly doubted what she was saying. 'We have too much to do today. Do we have classes?'

'No, it's Saturday. Thank Merlin, I don't think I couldn't handle classes at the moment, yesterday was excruciating. I was so tired.' I told her and she nodded, letting out a small tinkling laugh.

'I know what you mean,' she smiled. 'Do you think everything will be ok later?' she whispered clearly trying to disguise the worry in her voice. It was weird how attuned I was to her already, like two parts of the same whole.

I thought about this for a moment, tonight we were going to tell James, Remus, Lily and Snape about where Melody was from and I was slightly apprehensive. There was no proof that she was telling the truth, what if they didn't believe her? And worse, what if Snape was already on the side of Voldemort, what if he told him about Melody? I couldn't fathom what that would mean for our world. Melody would no doubt be tortured into telling the Dark Lord everything, Lily and James would be killed before they even had the chance to have Harry and Voldemort would gain the knowledge of others knowing about his Horcruxes so he could hide them. No doubt Remus and myself would be killed for knowing the truth too. Nothing good could come of being sold out and I wondered how Melody would stop that from happening.

'I don't know,' I told her seriously and she nodded.

'I don't know if we can trust him,' she said quietly and I knew she meant him to be Snape.

'I don't either, but if he did what you said he would, then maybe he can be trustworthy?' I asked the confusing questing in a in a low tone, not outlining what we were talking about in case the others in the dorm were awake. It felt wrong to consider Severus Snape to be trustful to me, but after I learnt what he did for Harry and Lily I did gain a new sort of respect for him, but enough to trust him with this? I wasn't sure.

'I hope so, he will be a good asset.' She said and then moved out of my hold. She sat up slightly and looked around the dorm. I did the same and saw that the other three Marauders were not in their beds.

'Do you think we should ask Peter to join?' she asked, her back turned from me and I could see that her shoulders were stiff.

I froze. Was she serious?

'W-what?' I choked. 'How can you possibly ask that after what that... that _rat _will do?'

'That's my point, maybe if we can rein him in now he will have the chance to redeem himself? If we include him then maybe he won't feel the need to betray us? If we trust him...'

'He didn't have the need in the first place Melody!' I said loudly. 'You told me he did it out of fear for his own life. You told me that we trusted him and he betrayed us anyway!' I grabbed her shoulder and turned her body so that she was facing me again. 'I won't let him hurt you. If we tell him everything then he could tell Voldemort one day.'

She faltered under my intense gaze and I could see some sort of argument forming in her head.

'But James doesn't trust me,' she whispered, her large eyes filling with tears. 'He might not believe me, if we include Peter then he might.' She said with a half hearted shrug.

'James will believe you, he will know that you are telling the truth.' I told her firmly though allowing some doubt to lace my voice. 'When he knows your reasons he will understand why you do not trust Peter. He doesn't trust you at the moment because you involved Snape and not Peter. He will understand.'

'I know, I just hope it's soon.' She told me before quietly getting out of the bed and leaving the room through the door that stood ajar. She turned before she fully exited and winked at me.

'Thanks for everything Sirius,' she whispered, causing my heart to soar. When she was out of the door I threw myself back down on the bed, closing my eyes and thinking of her beautiful smile and the memory of her small frame trembling underneath my touch, letting it to fill me up, desire chasing away the worry as to what was to come.

Melody POV

The hours passed quickly after I left Sirius' room. I still found it hard to believe that I was at Hogwarts, that I was in a world I always thought was make believe, that I had met Bellatrix Lestrange and that the Dark Lord knew that I was here and wanted to know who I was. I stood outside a decidedly blank wall on the seventh floor of Hogwarts and though 'please let them believe me, please let them believe me, please let them believe me.' Opened my eyes, and to my amazement a door was there. Materialising from god only knows where. I drew in a deep breath and walked forward, taking the elaborate brass handle and turning it to see three sets of curious eyes and one understanding quickly running to my side.

"It's time," Sirius whispered into my ear, ignoring his three friends and one enemy stood behind him, sending curious glances my way. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's so soon." He fretted.

I took a deep breath and looked into the stormy gray eyes of a man that I first thought was make believe. For the first time since arriving here, I didn't see the seventeen year old boy that I had come to know over the past however many hours, I saw only the thirty-something year old man from my imagination. His skin was pale, his eyes gaunt with the haunted twelve years that he had to spend in prison. For the first time I didn't see the cockiness or happiness of someone who hadn't lived yet, I saw someone who understood the story of Harry Potter and someone who was frightened of what would happen because of my revealing the truth, someone who knew the fate of those gathered around us.

"I'm sure.'" I said, my voice not quavering, a confidence that I had never known shining through. "If I'm stuck here Sirius, I want to save them... I want to save you."

He grinned largely and the seventeen year old boy was back.

"I trust you." He whispered, taking my hand and pulling me over to sit on comfy sofa's that I had not seen on entering the room. I sat down next to Sirius keeping his hand intertwined with mine and three followed. James, Lily and Remus sat down on the sofa opposite us, their faces all showing some different emotion. James sat stiff holding his future wife's hand, his eyes were curious yet still slightly mistrustful and I could see the compromise that we came to last night after my nightmare had left him and now he was just eager to see why I did not trust one of his best friends. Lily sat next to him, her face open and reassuring yet still curious, I could see in her kind eyes that she was willing to hear me out and hoping that any of James' doubts about me would be dissolved once I told my story. On the other side of Lily was Remus. He, like James, also seemed slightly tensed, but like Lily his face was friendly, open and curious, though I could see something else burning beneath the surface as he looked at the intertwined hands of Sirius and myself, I could see that he did not fully trust me and was shocked to see that Sirius would – a man who chose not to trust openly. I tried to smile encouragingly at the three heroes of the Wizarding world but couldn't.

Snape alone stayed standing in his first potion, I looked over at him and saw that he was still clearly uncomfortable with being surrounded by three boys that had hounded him for years and his old best friend. I opened my mouth to say something comforting to the strange, greasy haired boy but Sirius beat me to it.

'Sni- Severus?' he said, looking at Snape and I saw shock explode over Snape's pale features. 'Please trust Melody and... myself... though that is hard... no one is going to hurt you... no one is going to torment you... we simply want you to know the truth.'

The two boys – who were so different in so many ways, looked into each other's eyes, trying to force on to each other what each was feeling.

'I want to thank you.' Sirius said, much to the shock of everyone but me present. 'You will know what for once Melody has explained her story.'

Severus Snape still stood stiffly and looked stonily at Sirius, but something played across his features which was more than the average curiosity. He inclined his head slightly towards us before closing his eyes and breathing heavily. Another chair appeared in the room, a black table chair, stiffed backed and uncomforting and he slowly uncoiled his tense posture and made his way towards it without looking at any one gathered. Once he sat down I myself took a slow deliberate breath, arranging my thoughts. Sirius squeezed my hand tightly and it was all the motivation I needed to spur me into speech.

'I want to thank you all for putting your differences aside and coming to meet here today,' I told them slowly and deliberately looking at Lily, James and Snape. 'I know that it is hard for you all to be here together, but I think once you hear me out you will hopefully put aside your differences and work _for the greater good.' _

The party gather, excluding Sirius, continued to look at me intensely, willing me to continue.

'I know that immediately you will not believe what I have to say, but you must trust that it is the truth, no matter how hard it is to believe.' I took a deep breath again and Sirius gave a reassuring squeeze of my hand. 'I was not home schooled.' I told them and all of their eyebrows furrowed.

'I am Melody Holon, and until twenty four hours ago I believed I was a muggle, until twenty four hours ago I lived in the 2012.'

Sirius POV

Dead silence. That's what followed Melody's words. Everyone's breathing in the room completely stopped and all eyes exploded from their sockets and them James laughed. Hysterically laughed. Looking at Melody he continued laughing.

'Good one,' He chocked. 'Really good one Melody, we might make a Marauder out of you yet.' He turned to Lily still chortling. 'Come on Lil, I was going to take you on a little adventure today.'

He did not however receive the laughter he was expecting from Lily. She looked at him, wide eyed and pale-faced.

'I think she's telling the truth Jamie.' She told him in a whisper. 'Look at her face... go on look at her, she isn't lying.'

James looked bemusedly into his girlfriends face for a while before Remus spoke up.

'Look at her James, she isn't lying.'

James turned away from both of them and looked at Melody who looked back at him, her eyes wide and pleading for understanding.

'I am not lying.' She whispered. 'Please listen... are you willing to listen...'

James nodded stonily with wide eyes.

'My name is Melody Holon, I was born on the twenty sixth of November nineteen ninety four, I went to St Jane's school in Cokeworth until I was sixteen years old and the left to go to St Joseph's college.'

Everyone continued to look on completely dumbfounded.

'When I was about six years old, or so, there were books published. Books about a wizard boy... a boy named Harry Potter.'

'Potter?' Snape asked, looking between Lily and James with wide eyes, 'books about a wizarding boy by the name of Potter?' I saw Melody nod slightly, her face paling as she was fast approaching the truth of what everyone in the room needed to know.

'Yes,' she said in a shaky voice. 'Harry James Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter, born on the thirty first of July nineteen eighty.'

Once again the breathing in the room stopped, James and Lily made odd gasping sounds and clutched each other's hands tightly, Remus was looking at Melody pale faced and curious and Snape looked.. furious, there was no other word for the expression that now marred his pale features.

'This can't be true!' Snape suddenly shouted, causing everyone to jump out of their own frantic thoughts. 'Lily is with Potter now but she wouldn't be stupid enough to marry him! To have a child with him! She's just getting it out of her system... she wouldn't do that... no!'

Everyone looked at Snape in shock, where were these accusations coming from? What right did he have to say that Lily would never marry James? Who was he to say that she couldn't? As if reading my own thoughts Lily stood up, her famous temper shining through as her hard practically crackled with electricity.

'Severus Snape! How dare you! You... you...' she pulled her wand out of her robes and James jumped to his feet a put a restraining hand on her arm but she shook it off. 'If Melody is telling the truth, which I fully believe she is, then why is it hard to believe that I will marry the boy that I am in _love _with one day? Hmm?'

Snape continued to look at Lily slack jawed, his face portraying serious shock over that fact that Lily had dared to declare her love for James Potter in front of him.

'You... you _love _Potter?' he hissed getting to his feet.

'Yes I do! I've loved him for as long as he has loved me, he may have been a foul git when we were younger but I always loved him, I always fought with him because I knew that somewhere deep inside of him was someone special, someone compassionate, someone worthy of my love. Inside James I could see a future, someone that I could stand by the side of and who I would protect and who would protect me as an equal!'

All of us were standing now, Remus and myself were looking on with satisfied expressions as Lily proclaimed her love for James and all that he meant to her, we knew all along that she loved him and he her just as much but after all these years – though they had been together a month or so now- to show it so openly to someone who was once her best friend and James' enemy was totally surprised. I looked to my left to see Melody standing at my side, her hand still clutched in my own with a satisfied expression on her face, as if she too had been waiting so long for this.

'I...but...I' Snape stammered and then took a breath, drawing up to his full height and starting towards the door. 'I can't listen to this.' He said in a low tone as he walked out of the room.

Lily fell into James arms and started to sob and he quickly tried to console her. I looked at Remus with wide eyes and he shrugged slightly. Melody squeezed my hand slightly before letting go.

'I'm going to find Severus.' She murmured before also exciting the room.


End file.
